Sweet Addictions
by MikiMagic
Summary: Levi gets extremely ill and Petra helps care for him. Petra struggles with her feelings for her commanding officer, and both of them are faced with major sexual tension between one another. The two end up caught in a conflicted, yet heated sexual relationship that seems extremely addicting to both, leading to more conflicted feelings on both ends.
1. Chapter 1

Levi covered his mouth as he let out a sneeze, of which he tried to stifle, but made no avail.

"Bless you, Heichou." Petra glanced over at her commanding officer as he sat on his steed. He had been sneezing all day, followed by some light coughing, and was even starting to look a bit pale. "Are you feeling alright?"

Levi had pulled a handkerchief from the inside of his jacket and was now coughing into it, a little louder then previously that day.

"I feel fine."

Petra only sighed, for she was starting to get concerned about the Captain's health lately. There had recently been a small breakout of a virus somewhere within Wall Rose, and was slowly spreading around. The rumor was that soldiers from the Scouting Legion may have brought it in from outside of the walls, but Petra wasn't sure if she wanted to believe that. However, the sickness was so bad that the ill were almost forced to stay inside their homes under a strict quarantine. It was a little depressing, but necessary to say the least. Humankind was already endangered as it was because of the Titans and their constant terror, so extreme illness within the walls could not be taken lightly. She glanced over at Levi again as they made their way back to their current living quarters at the castle.

"Maybe you should rest a bit when we get back, Heichou?"

"I said I'm fine, Petra."

Petra puffed her lower lip out in a pout and glanced over at Eren, who riding on the opposite side of Levi. Eren only shrugged at her and then looked at Levi.

"Petra's right, Heichou…you really don't look good…"

Levi turned his head and looked at Eren, shooting him a miserably sour look, which made Eren cringe in fear a bit. Levi really knew how to scare the crap out of him sometimes, not to mention the Captain had been in a shitty mood all day. It seemed like every little thing Eren said had pissed him off in one way or another.

"Eren and I can handle taking in the supplies." Petra spoke up again, causing Levi's gaze to shift to her instead, much to Eren's relief.

"Do what you want." Levi sighed as they arrived to their destination and halted their horses.

After settling their horses in the stable, Petra and Eren grabbed as much of the supplies they brought back as possible, so they didn't have to make as many trips to and from the castle.

"I think we'll only have to make two trips." Petra smiled as she held a couple of grocery bags in her arms.

"Okay." Eren finished grabbing a few bags and began to walk with Petra to the castle. He looked ahead to see Levi at the entrance, and Hanji as well. Hanji was babbling on about something, and Levi only put a hand to his head in annoyance and shoved past her, leaving her looking a bit concerned.

As the two reached the doorway, Hanji greeted them with a warm smile.

"Ah! Eren! Petra! Got some shopping done today I see?"

"Hello Squad Leader Hanji." Petra smiled. "Yes, we had to go out for more supplies today."

"I see. May I ask how Levi's been? He didn't look too well when I talked to him moments ago." Hanji glanced back inside the entrance, even though Levi was no longer in sight.

"Oh…" a worried look crossed Petra's face. "I'm worried about him…I think he may be coming down with something…and I know there's been a bad virus going around."

"Ah, so he _is_ sick." Hanji crossed her arms over her chest. "That explains his shittier then usual attitude."

"Yeah…and he's been taking it out on me _all day_." Eren muttered. "The only one he hasn't lashed out at yet is Petra."

Hanji only laughed. "Well I could see that."

"Huh?" Eren raised an eyebrow, not fully understanding Hanji's commentary.

Petra only blushed lightly and held up her hands in defense. "That's not true! Heichou has been a little sore towards me today…but…he won't rest. He won't listen…"

"Well that's Levi for you." Hanji sighed. "The only person he will listen to is Erwin. Maybe I should get _him_ over here." She laughed. "But in all seriousness, maybe you are just worrying too much Petra. He might just have a small bug or something; nothing too serious. Besides, you know how clean he is. He probably just needs a cup of tea and he'll be feeling right as rain-"

"TEA!" Petra tossed the grocery bags at Eren, catching him guard a bit.

"Nyah! Petra!"

"Heichou's tea! I forgot Heichou's tea!"

"Petra! Calm down, girl! I'm sure Levi will be fine…" Hanji began to say something, but Petra was already halfway across the yard to the stables, ready to go all the way back into town for tea. Hanji only blinked and stared after Petra for a moment.

"Hanjiii! Help…" Eren grunted, now buried under bags of supplies that he could barely hold up.

"Oh! Sure…"

Shortly after assisting Eren, Hanji made her way back outside, only to see Petra riding up on her horse.

"I'm just going to run into town real quick." She said.

"Petra, you really don't have to go through all of the trouble. I'm sure Levi will understand."

"It's no trouble, really!" Petra smiled sweetly. "I should be back before dark. Hya!" and with that, Petra took off down the path on her horse, with Hanji only shaking her head and smiling after her.

"_Wow. You really have her wrapped around your finger, don't you Levi?" _

Petra made her way back into the bustling town. She stopped at the nearest tea shop and quickly went inside to pick up Heichou's tea. She ended up browsing a bit, buying green tea, herbal tea, and some coffee beans for the morning. She even managed to acquire a small amount of black tea, which was a bit hard to find nowadays, but the extra cost was worth it. Levi was more likely sick then not, and black tea just so happened to be his favorite, even though he didn't get to drink it very often.

As she went to check out, she saw some cute cat shaped cookies decorated in a fluffy and delicious looking icing sitting in a display case near the register, along with other baked goods. She pulled out her wallet and counted the money she had left. Baked goods this nice were kind of on the expensive side these days, as some of the ingredients such as flour, milk, and eggs were a bit scarce due to the food shortages, and were usually not wasted on unnecessary things like pastries...

But she thought that maybe they would be a nice treat for the squad, since they all have been working so hard lately. Petra set the items on the counter and pointed out the cookies she wanted and how many as the cashier smiled and made light conversation with her.

As Petra handed over her money to pay, the cashier only smiled and said, "Don't worry about it, dear. Everything is on the house."

Petra looked shocked and tried to protest. "Oh no! I couldn't possibly…!"

"Please. I insist." The kind old woman took Petra's hand in hers and smiled warmly at her. "You youngsters deserve it. It's the very least I can do to thank you for what you've been doing for all of us. In fact, please tell Captain Levi that the Ross family sends their warm regards."

"I…I will. Thank you very much." Petra briefly squeezed the old woman's hand and smiled.

Moments later, Petra was mounting her horse again and getting ready to head back to her squad. The sky was once again a pretty deep orange-red, with the sun setting in the horizon. As she took off down the still busy street, she couldn't help but smile to herself. The old woman seemed so grateful and so kind. It was nice getting thanks from citizens rather then hate, which these days, it was basically one or the other. She felt happy to know that she was really contributing to the human race in some way, whether big or small. And then she thought about Levi…which made the smile on her face even bigger. She began to wonder what relation he had to that Ross family and why the old woman was nearly brought to tears. Heichou was admired by many people, which irritated him a lot it seemed like, but in Petra's eyes, that just made him even more attractive. He didn't care about attention or praise; to Levi, he was just doing his job.

Petra was now riding on the path that headed to the castle, with the small shopping bag hanging from her saddle and rustling against her horse's neck. She remembered her recent letters to her father about Levi…about how she wanted to fully devote herself and her life to him…that she loved him. Her father seemed both amused and taken aback at the same time. On one hand, he loved the fact that Petra had changed her mind about marriage, even though marriage is not something she stated in her letters, but the way her dad saw it, if she loved him and wanted to "devote" herself to him, she should marry him. Then there was the other side of her dad that was still a bit iffy about her getting married, of which Petra actually found a bit surprising coming from him. He had always wanted her to get married and settle down, but of course her decisions led to a different path. She had entered the military as a cadet at a very young age and was now in an advanced squad in the Scouting Legion. Though this was not the path Petra's father had envisioned for her, he supported her nonetheless, but was still a bit disappointed in her views on marriage and settling down. Now that she actually had someone she wanted to devote herself to, he felt as if it was all happening a bit too fast.

First off, she was barely nineteen, and Heichou was a good sixteen years her senior. The age difference was not the problem; it was her age that was. He father had recently written back to her after she had confessed her feelings for her Captain to him.

_I understand what you are feeling, Petra. However, as a father, this seems so sudden for me. Dedicating your life to Captain Levi? That's a huge decision, even for you. I realize you have developed strong feelings for him, but you are still very young. You are only nineteen, my love…and I'm not exactly sure you know what you want yet._

That one piece of her father's recent letter had lingered in her head for days. He was all over her about settling down before, and now when she finally does fall for someone, she doesn't know what she wants? She didn't even mention anything about marriage to her father…she just wanted to be at Levi's side and be there for him…in any way he needed her.

She blushed to herself.

She hadn't even told Levi any of this. She still had yet to actually come out and fess up to him, but she could never really find the appropriate time, or even the right amount of courage to even begin to tell Heichou her feelings. And furthermore, what would he even say back to her?

She sighed heavily.

Her father didn't understand. She very well knew what she wanted…and sometimes it really made her feel horribly confused inside. She didn't ask to fall for the Captain…she just did. For some reason, her heart went out to him the most, and all she wanted to do was be there for him. Hell, she felt as if she_ needed_ to be there for him…and if he would let her, she would.

She felt her chest tighten up yet again, probably for the third time today, and her face go hot. Why couldn't she just tell him?

Why couldn't she just say that she loved him?

She sighed as she steered her horse to the stables. _"Petra…you're crazy…and selfish at that…" _she thought.

Despite the recent closeness they shared a mere couple of weeks ago, there wasn't the same type of interaction between them ever since. Everything was back to normal, and neither of them spoke of that drunken night. In fact, for a few days afterwards, Petra and Levi remained a certain distance from one another, especially Petra.

Was it wrong to say that she liked the type of closeness she had with Heichou that night? She closed her eyes.

She did kiss the man.

In his sleep.

She opened her eyes, her cheeks now flushed red. Hopefully he was really passed out asleep when she did that, for that was quite a bold move on her part, and probably would not have even attempted it if she were sober but…

She sighed, watching the sun disappear behind the mountains in the distance. Now was not the time to be thinking of such things, especially with so much going on, and with the Captain being sick and all.

_Get it together, Petra._

After about ten minutes, Petra made her way to the stable and walked her horse into its pen. She petted the horse and fed him an apple she had picked out at the store.

"Good boy. Thank you for all of your help lately. You deserve a nice treat…"

As she continued to pet her horse, she noticed the stable was a bit more full than usual, with extra horses tied around the posts.

"Well I haven't seen any of you around here before." She said and blinked. "We must have visitors…"

Petra locked up the stable and made her way to the castle entrance, carrying the single shopping bag in her hand. She saw Mike standing outside the doorway, with Moblit next to him, talking amongst themselves. Mike was very tall next to Moblit, and soon towered over Petra even more as she came nearer.

"Oh, hello. Petra, correct?" Mike looking down at her.

"Yes sir!" Petra gave a salute before Mike leaned down and sniffed Petra's hair a bit.

"…" Petra blinked, and even blushed a bit before Mike smirked.

"You smell like sweets. What's in the bag?"

"Oh! Um, I just picked up some tea and coffee…and some cookies." She smiled warmly.

"Well that was awfully kind of you. Baked goods are hard to get these days."

Petra blushed a bit and held out the bag. "Would you like one, sir?"

"Oh, no thank you, Petra. I don't really do sweets. But thank you."

Petra looked at Moblit, who was already caught staring at her.

"How about you, Moblit? Would you like one?"

Moblit blushed, looking nervous as ever. "Alright. Thank you, Petra."

Petra handed him a cat shaped cookie that was wrapped in cellophane and smiled warmly. Moblit swallowed hard, his mouth dry from being a bit nervous in front of the red haired cutie. Before he could say anything else, Petra looked back up at Mike.

"What's the occasion, sir? And is Scout Leader Hanji here as well then?" she glanced back at Moblit for a brief moment.

"Yes, and unfortunately, it's under troubling circumstances." Mike shifted. "Commander Erwin is here as well."

Petra blinked. "The Commander? What's going on? Is it Eren?" she asked as a worried look crossed her face.

"Actually, it's Captain Levi." Moblit spoke up.

Mike nodded. "He's extremely ill and not doing quite well, Petra. We're afraid he may have caught the virus that has been brought into the walls."

Petra's face dropped. "…What? But…but I just saw him! He looked sick but it wasn't extreme…"

"We've learned that the symptoms of this particular sickness tend to spread quickly throughout the body after a certain point."

"He needs to see a doctor then-!"

"There is already a doctor inside. He was in no shape to go into town, so we had to bring one in."

Petra blinked; her face full of worry. "Please excuse me, sir…and Moblit..."

She quickly hurried past the two and through the doorway, nearly running into the main hall.

Mike and Moblit looked after her until she was out of sight.

"She seems worried…" Moblit looked at Mike.

"We all are a bit worried. This thing is quite serious, Moblit."

Moblit nodded and looked down at the cat shaped cookie Petra had given him. Her warm smile had so quickly turned into a frown after hearing about the Captain.

"She's just so sweet; it almost hurts to see her so worried." Moblit blushed, looking distraught.

"Ah, I see. You have a thing for her, huh?" Mike said almost nonchalantly.

"Wha-What? No! That is-!" he stuttered, nearly crushing the cookie on accident due to his hands clenching from nervousness.

Mike smirked. "You know she highly admires Captain Levi, right?"

Moblit sighed. "Yeah, yeah…" his expression then turned serious. "The Captain will get through this, right? I mean, after all he's been through, fighting titans and such, there is no way he could get done in by a mere sickness…right?"

Mike looked off into the horizon, with the sun now set and the night sky moving in.

"If there's one thing we all know about Levi, it's that he has a strong will. I am confident that he will pull through."

Meanwhile, Petra made her way up the steps to the floor where Levi's room was. As she approached his bedroom, he saw three figures standing outside of the door. One was Squad Leader Hanji, Commander Erwin, and a short and stout man dressed in a casual suit, carrying a black bag. That was probably the doctor Mike was talking about. The doctor shook Commander Erwin's hand and Erwin nodded as the doctor made his way past Petra.

"Hello." She nodded. The doctor acknowledged her with a nod, smile, and hello, before making his way down the steps.

Petra quickly walked up to Hanji and Erwin, saluting.

"Squad Leader Hanji! Commander Erwin! Petra Ral reporting!"

"As you were." Erwin nodded.

"How is he?" she looked up at him with worry. "Captain Levi?"

Erwin glanced at Hanji, who stood against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest. She had a concerned look on her face as well. Erwin looked at Petra once more before speaking.

"Levi is in critical condition at the moment."

"Critical…?" Petra's face dropped.

Hanji stood up and walked over to Petra. "He's got a high fever, and he's already vomited a few times. There's also a bit of blood in his vomit…which we were the most concerned about. We are pretty sure he caught whatever was going around."

Petra didn't know what to say; she only let out a small gasp and shifted a bit.

"But listen, there is good news." Hanji managed to crack a smile, or at least attempted to. "They have already discovered a vaccine; only a few hours ago too. Unfortunately, we won't be able to get a dose until tomorrow, as they already ran out giving it to the citizens who needed it. They are working overtime to get more doses of the vaccine out and to the people. But until then, everyone needs to steer clear of Levi. He's highly contagious. Do you hear me, Petra?"

Petra looked at Hanji, her faced sick with worry. "But someone needs to take care of him-" she started.

"That's already been taken care of." Hanji cut her off. "Petra…" she put a hand on the young girl's shoulder. "Do not go near him yet. We can't afford another soldier getting sick and spreading it to the rest of the squad. Do you understand me? That's an order." 

Petra closed her eyes, almost looking pained, before looking at Hanji and saluting. "Yes sir."

"Good." Hanji removed her hand and looked back at Erwin. "I'll inform the rest of the squad, Commander."

"See to it then." Erwin nodded, and Hanji made her way down the steps, leaving Petra alone with the commander.

"Petra." He spoke up, causing the ginger to quickly look up at him.

"Sir?"

"I know you are worried, soldier. We all are…but have a little faith."

Petra nodded. "Yes…"

"Alright then." He gave her a quick reassuring pat on the shoulder before walking past her. "As you were."

Moments later, Petra made her way downstairs to the dining area where the rest of the squad was meeting. Everyone was sitting at the table, talking frantically amongst themselves, as Petra quietly took a seat.

"I can't believe the Captain is laid out like that!" Auruo slammed his hands onto the table. "A virus of all things!"

"Calm down there, Auruo." Erd put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Yeah…it's frightening, but I'm sure the Captain will pull through." Gunther spoke up. "They did say there was a vaccine…"

"Well why aren't they giving any to the Captain then?" Eren looked irritated.

"They ran out due to tending to other citizens first, Eren." Erd looked at him. "You heard what Squad Leader Hanji said; they'll be working overtime and we'll probably have a dose as early as tomorrow morning."

Eren's face softened a bit. He had forgotten that there were others with the same sickness, and not all of them made it through. "That's right…I guess I forgot."

"You guys don't think the Captain will die, do you? From something like an illness?" Auruo looked worried.

Petra slid her chair back and stood up, looking directly at him. "Heichou has a very strong will! He has defeated much stronger foes and I know he will make it through this and keep leading us to victory!" she placed her fist over her heart, saluting.

Everyone looked at her for a moment, before agreeing in unison with the girl.

Captain Levi had to get through this…he just had to.

The evening grew later, and Hanji and Moblit ended up staying at the castle that night, just to take extra precaution. Though everyone was trying to keep their cool about the whole situation, it was no surprise that the atmosphere was thick with worry and anticipation among the squad members. Hanji and Moblit would frequently visit Levi's room to tend to him and once again try to bring down his fever, but made little to no avail. After everyone had gone to bed and Hanji and Moblit went to take a quick coffee break, Petra decided it was time for her to go to bed as well. She made sure Hanji and Moblit had enough coffee and asked if they needed anything else before Hanji smiled and told her to go get some sleep.

As Petra made her way up to her room, she couldn't help but pass Levi's room and stop right in front of his door. She stood there for a moment, listening. She didn't hear a whole lot of noise behind the door, just a few coughs, and, if she wasn't mistaken, a few soft groans.

She leaned against his door.

She wanted so badly to just go in there and help…but Hanji had strictly ordered her not to go near Levi, no matter what. She sighed heavily, and was about to head to her room, when she heard Levi start to cough a bit violently. She never disobeyed orders…but…

Levi continued to cough nonstop, and Petra closed her eyes and sighed, looking worried as ever. She was right there, and she had to do something. He was her commanding officer, and she had already made a decision to stand by him no matter what. So she quickly ran to the supply room and grabbed some gloves, an apron, and a kerchief that she pulled up over her mouth. She also grabbed some medicinal herbs that she was in fact familiar with, along with an herb bowl and grinder and made her way back to Heichou's room. She hesitated before opening the door quickly and entering, shutting the door firmly behind her. Levi was lying in bed, buried underneath a blanket that looked almost drenched. Petra could only assume that that was sweat, considering Levi looked to be sweating profusely. He lay shirtless under the blanket, with his eyes closed and a pained looked on his face. Petra noticed right away that there was a small stream of blood trickling from his mouth.

She furrowed her brow in worry.

"_He's coughing up blood, too?" _she thought, before quickly hurrying over to Levi and setting down her supplies.

She knew it was a risk, but she quickly removed one of her gloves and placed the back of her hand to Levi's forehead. Sure enough, he was burning up badly. It looked as if the fever had broken at some point, hence all of the sweat, but didn't quite stay away. Levi didn't react to her touch, meaning he must really be out of it.

Petra quickly set down the herbs and began to combine them into the grinding bowl. She had to get his fever down, even if he had worse underlying issues. This, at least, would help a little bit. As she continued to mash up the herbs, the door opened behind her. She quickly glanced over her shoulder to see Hanji, who looked shocked to see Petra standing there. She also had her mouth covered, but Petra knew right away that she did not look happy behind those glasses of hers. For a moment, Petra got extremely nervous, as she knew that she shouldn't be in Levi's room and had blatantly disobeyed orders, and Hanji knew that.

"Ral! Didn't I order you to stay away?" She looked and sounded furious.

"I-I'm sorry, squad leader! I just…he's coughing up blood…and his fever…" she stuttered, before Levi rolled over on his side and curled up under the blanket, as he began to cough once more.

Hanji saw the small blood trail from his mouth and looked at Petra. "He's getting worse…what's that you're mixing?"

"An herbal remedy. To bring down the fever…" Petra finished grinding the herbs and began to mix the concoction into a liquid.

Hanji blinked. "Well…what else do you need, Petra?"

"Squad leader?"

"If this remedy brings down Levi's fever then that would help more then you know. What else do you need?"

"Well, this is pretty heavy on the body, so he might get dehydrated fast, so it's best that he has a lot of liquid intake. Water, and lots of it….also…" she poured the mixture into a nearby cup. "Do we have anything like echinacea, or even chamomile? Anything that can help boost his immune system would work. Actually…we do have chamomile tea. That would work as well."

Hanji turned to her assistant, who was standing closely behind her. "Moblit, go get some water. And bring the tea as well."

"Yes, sir."

"Moblit, please bring it to me raw?" Petra looked at him.

"Yes, okay." He turned on his heel and quickly walked to the door.

"What should I do, Petra?" Hanji walked over to the redhead and closely examined her actions.

Petra looked at Hanji for a moment, as if processing what she had just asked. "Could you sit him up please? I need him to drink this."

Hanji nodded and quickly walked over the Levi, who looked miserably ill.

"Alright Captain, I need you to sit up, can you do that?"

"Go away…go the fuck away…." He muttered, his voice croaking.

"Levi, you have to sit up, come on…" Hanji took the liberty of pulling his blanket away, revealing his bare torso, scars and all. The only thing he was wearing was a pair of black pants that he usual wore to bed for pajamas. She leaned over the man and looped her arms under his, pulling him up from his slump. She managed to sit him up, but not before he backhanded her.

"I said fuck off!" Due to his weak state though, the hit proved ineffective anyway, as Hanji easily blocked his hand from hitting her face.

"Cut the attitude, moron! Do you want to die?" Hanji yelled back at him.

"Fuck you, Hanji." Levi muttered.

"Yeah, well, fuck you for getting sick on me." She sighed heavily, clearly aggravated.

Petra had not seen them go back and forth like that in a while. Usually, Hanji took Levi's rudeness with a grain of salt, as most people who knew him well did. But today was different; tonight was a more serious matter, and it was clear that she was worried about Levi as well, and it was starting to show. Petra didn't waste any time hurrying over to Levi's side, who was now leaning his head back against the bed's headboard in pain. Petra handed the herbal concoction to Hanji, who nodded and put her attention back on Levi again.

"Levi, drink this."

Levi only grunted.

Hanji sighed heavily and grabbed Levi's face, almost too forcefully, and had him face her.

"We have to get your fever down, just drink this."

"Get off of me…" Levi shoved her arm away. "I said, fuck off…!" he began coughing again.

"Petra, do something, please." Hanji looked over at the frantic redhead.

"What? Me?"

"Maybe he'll listen to you."

"Why me?" Petra looked at Hanji, and then back at Levi, worried as ever.

"Well if you can't do anything, I'm about to knock him out and feed him that little remedy myself. And I'm not joking."

Petra looked at Hanji's facial expression, which was stern and solid. She definitely was not joking at all. Petra didn't want things to get to that degree, as Levi was already in enough pain as it was. Even so, she wasn't even sure if she could get him to drink; if Hanji couldn't then how could she? Regardless, Petra reached out and gently took the Captain's face in her shaky hands. Levi's first response of course was to forcefully grab at her wrists, which hurt her a little, but it was nothing she couldn't handle.

"Heichou, you need to calm down, please…" Petra pleaded. Her voice shaking, but somehow she still managed to maintain her composure.

Levi glanced up at the girl who was touching his face. His vision was blurred at this point, but he could clearly see this wasn't Hanji again. She held his face gently, despite his forceful response, and spoke softly to him. He blinked, and his harsh gaze seemed to calm down a bit.

"…Petra…?"

"Yes?"

Levi wrinkled his brow and loosened his grip on her wrists but didn't let go. "They won't fucking leave me alone…god damn it…" he muttered, sounding frighteningly weak.

"We are just trying to help you…Hanji and Moblit have been taking care of you all day…"

"I'm fucking dying, Petra."

"Please don't say that, Heichou." Petra felt as if her heart had been stabbed a thousand times.

"My insides are burning…fuck…"

"You'll be okay…I just need you to drink something for me. It will make you feel a little better at least." Petra wasn't sure if he would feel better; in fact she didn't even know if this remedy would work, or if she even made it right. She wasn't even sure if Levi would make it through the night, but she didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to lose faith in her Captain…in Levi…

"Your hands are shaking…"

Petra looked down at the man, who was now gazing up at her with a glazed over look on his face. Petra looked down at her hands that were still caressing the Captain's face, which were in fact shaking. She quickly pulled her hands away and looked at Hanji, who handed the cup back to Petra. She quickly put the cup to Levi's lips.

"Drink." She said softly.

Levi looked at her once more with tired eyes, before he sighed and put his lips to the cup. He began to drink the concoction, but after a second he gagged and shoved Petra's arm away, coughing. Petra immediately grabbed Levi's face with one hand and put the cup back to his mouth with the other, a little forcefully, catching both Levi and Hanji off guard.

"I'm sorry, Heichou…I know it doesn't taste all that good…but you must drink it all…" She lifted the cup as Levi choked down the liquid, trying not to vomit it back up.

He flinched as he swallowed every last drop that wretched girl was feeding him, until she finally took the cup away. He coughed a bit more, but managed to keep the mixture down, much to Petra's relief. He lay back against the pillow once more, still looking pained, but not saying a word either. Hanji looked over at Petra and nodded.

"Good job." She said.

Petra only nodded and looked back at Levi with worry. At that same moment, Moblit had returned to the room with a bucket of water, some rags, and the tea leaves Petra had asked for. For the next hour, Petra, Hanji, and Moblit tended to the Captain's needs. Moblit began to clean up the blood and sweat that Levi had left behind , sanitizing in general to prevent any spread of bacteria and sickness. Hanji began to grind up the tea leaves, making a paste, and Petra mostly stayed at the Captain's bedside, changing out the rags on his forehead and continuously giving him water when he would take it.

Taking care of Levi was not an easy task, as he was already stubborn enough as it was, and with his sickness bearing down hard on him like this, it did not make it any easier. Most of the time, he just wanted to be left alone, and would often push Petra away or knock things out of her hands when she tried to come near him. Even though he was extremely ill and bedridden, his dislike of being touched remained. Finally, after a while, he eventually gave up, as Petra was way to persistent to stay at his side. He knew this, yet still tried to get her to go away anyway. But, like him, she had a stubborn side as well, and he was getting too weak and exhausted to fight anyone at this point. After Hanji had made a special paste out of the chamomile tea, she handed the small bowl to Petra.

"He's more likely to take it if you give it to him."

Petra blinked and looked at Hanji for a moment. She was saying that an awful lot today, even though Levi had also continuously pushed her away as well. But Petra took the bowl from Hanji regardless, dipping a small silver spoon in the mixture.

"How much are you going to give him?" Hanji looked down at Levi, who looked miserable at this point.

"Just a small spoonful…maybe two."

"Mm." Hanji nodded.

"Heichou?" Petra looked at Levi, who barely opened his eyes at the sound of her voice.

"What now?" he asked weakly, still with annoyance in his voice.

"I need you to swallow a couple of small spoonful's of something with some water…"

"Fuck, Petra…"

"I promise this one won't taste as bad. It's mostly chamomile…though it might make you a little sleepy."

Levi sighed and turned his head to her as she put the spoon to his mouth and fed him the two small portions of the paste. Petra was right; it really didn't taste all that bad. At least it didn't taste like the shit she fed him earlier. After that, Petra gave him more water, which he did not hesitate to gulp down, with some of it running down his chin and onto his chest. A few minutes later, he was curled up under the covers once more, now shivering this time around. Petra only sat at his side, waiting for the effects of her herbal remedy to kick in…and hopefully it would soon.

Levi opened his eyes and looked at Petra again.

"Petra…close the fucking window…I'm freezing…"

"The window isn't open, Heichou…"

"Why am I so fucking cold then?" Levi curled up under the blanket even more and closed his eyes again.

"It's going to be alright…"Petra said softly.

Another half hour passed and Levi laid in his bed, now fidgeting a bit uncomfortably in his sleep. He had long since kicked the covers off of him and was now sweating profusely once more. He was panting a bit in his sleep, but not too horribly. A pained look remained on his face as he continued to sweat, and Petra quickly prepared to run and get more cold water. As she prepared to walk out the door, Hanji had placed a hand on the young girl's shoulder.

"His fever is beginning to break, I see." She said.

Petra turned at looked at Hanji, who was now looking a bit calmer then she did earlier.

"Good job, Petra. It looks as if your remedy worked. Tell me, where did you learn that?"

"Oh! I…well…my father actually taught me a few things about medicinal herbs. I know a few basic remedies and…well, it's worked before. I'm just happy I did it properly." She smiled nervously.

"Impressive, soldier."

"Thank you, squad leader."

"However, there is the matter of you disregarding direct orders."

Petra froze up. It was true; she did blatantly disobey Hanji's orders to stay away from Levi.

"Yes…I know. And I'm willing to accept any punishment that may be bestowed upon me, sir!"

Hanji only sighed, and then gave the girl a soft smile. "How about…I let this one slide?"

"But…but squad leader!"

"You really helped Moblit and I out today. And you really came through for Levi…I can see you care a great deal about him."

Petra felt her cheeks flush and nearly dropped the bucket she was holding. "What? Oh! No! I mean…I do! He's my commanding officer! And it's my duty to-! Uhm…that is…"

Hanji only shook her head and smiled. "Run along and grab that water. I'll dismiss what happened earlier, alright? Just don't disobey orders again. Any other officer wouldn't let it slide as easily, especially him." Hanji motioned to Levi.

Petra nodded firmly. "Yes sir."

Petra quickly headed downstairs and to the kitchen, where she quickly tossed the bucket into the sink and turned on the water. She paced the floor as she impatiently waited for the bucket to fill up. Her mind was racing and her worried thoughts kept getting to her. Sure, her remedy helped bring down Levi's fever, but that was honestly the least of their problems. The fact of the matter was that Levi was still very sick, and she would not feel better until he got that vaccine pumped into him. How in the world was she supposed to sleep tonight? She sighed heavily and went to the sink and turned off the tap, quickly dragging the heavier bucket out. Liquid got onto her hands, causing the bucket handle to slip, and the bucket to drop to the floor, flooding it with water.

"Fuck!" Petra cursed aloud, removing her military jacket and getting on her knees to clean up the mess.

"Well, I don't think I've ever heard you drop _that_ word." She heard a sneering voice from behind her.

Petra turned to see Auruo standing behind her in his pajamas, with his arms crossed over his chest and looking down at her.

"I'm really busy right now, Auruo. What do you want?" she rolled her eyes.

"Tch! What's with the attitude? And why are you still awake? And in uniform?"

"I'm helping Hanji and Moblit…" Petra took the bucket back to the sink and ran the water again.

"What? You were actually in the room with the Captain?" Auruo backed up a bit. "You aren't…sick, are you, Petra?"

"I feel fine. Besides, I've been wearing a mask…" Petra sighed and turned off the tap water after filling the bucket once more.

"Damn, you look tired."

"I am…"

"How is he doing anyway?"

"Not good…I mean, his fever is starting to break but…" she looked off to the side. Auruo clearly saw the worry in her face.

"Hey…come on. Like you said, he'll be fine. He's Captain Levi after all…right?"

Petra looked at Auruo once again.

"Hey, just bring that upstairs and get some sleep. I'll get the mop." Auruo walked past her and to the broom closet.

"Auruo…" Petra looked at Auruo, somewhat taken aback by his sudden act of kindness and selflessness.

"Eh, come on! Don't look at me like that! And don't get used to it either…" he muttered before grabbing the mop from the closet.

"Thank you, Auruo." Petra smiled sweetly at him before turning and heading back upstairs with the bucket of fresh water.

Once Petra turned her back, Auruo's facial expression softened as he looked after the girl until she was out of sight. He sighed and began mopping up the spilled water.

Captain Levi was always going to be the most important man in her life; that was certainly becoming more obvious lately…

As Petra made her way back to Levi's room, she passed Moblit on the way, nearly knocking into him as she headed around the corner.

"Oh! Sorry, Petra." Moblit apologized.

"That's alright…" she tightened her grip on the bucket so it wouldn't easily slip again. "How is the Captain?"

"He's still sweating the fever out. Hanji says he needs to stay hydrated."

"Mm." Petra nodded.

"She told me to take a break for a bit. Captain Levi seems to be a bit more stable now, well…at least more than he was earlier."

"You deserve a break, Moblit. Thank you so much for all of your help." Petra thanked him sincerely.

"Oh, it was nothing, really." Moblit smiled, a bit bashful from Petra's comment. "You're the one who stabilized him for now. It was really all you. Well anyway, goodnight Petra. Try to get some sleep tonight, okay?"

"Alright, I will. Thank you." Petra smiled softly and nodded to Moblit as they went their separate ways.

Petra walked back into Levi's room only to see Hanji about to leave.

"Alright, Petra, I'm calling it a night for now." She glanced back at Levi, and then back at Petra. "He's calmed down quite a bit. Though his coughing hasn't really ceased yet, his fever has gone down significantly and he's just sleeping right now, which is what he needs. Moblit and I are going to try and get some sleep. We all have to be up in a few hours anyway."

"Alright."

"You need to get some sleep too. Finish up what you're doing here and then get some sleep, alright?"

"Yes sir..."

"You did well tonight." Hanji gave Petra a reassuring smile before exiting the room.

Petra watched as the door closed and she was once again alone with Levi. She stood there in the same spot for a moment, taking in everything that had just happened throughout the night. It had been a rough night indeed, and even though Levi was a little more peaceful now, her mind was still not at ease. She turned and walked over to Levi's bed, where she sat in the chair beside him. She grabbed a rag, dipped it into the fresh water, and rung it out. She looked at Levi for a moment, watching the beads of sweat still running down his forehead. His hair was drenched, as well as the sheets he was laying on. She touched the cold rag to the Captain's brow and gently dabbed his forehead and parts of his face, wiping away the sweat.

She would not be able to feel better until he received that vaccination later…

She continued to dab his brow, dipping the rag into the water and ringing it out. She touched the cold rag to his chest and began to dab away the sweat there as well. She did this for a good fifteen minutes, mostly because she didn't want to leave his side yet, for fear that he would slip into a horrible state again. She gently put her hand out and touched his forehead gently with her hand, softly running it through his wet hair.

"Please get through this, Heichou…Levi…" she whispered.

She put the back of her hand to his forehead, trying to get an idea of where his body temperature was at now. Petra lowered herself and gently touched her lips to his forehead. His fever really was dropping; making her feel a bit more relieved, but still worried at the same time.

At that moment, Levi's eyes opened, with Petra's lips still to his forehead.

"What in the hell…are you doing…?" he croaked quietly.

Petra's face went red and she shot up, embarrassed once again.

"I'm sorry, Heichou! I was just checking your body temperature…"

"Petra, get me some water…"

"Oh…yes…" Petra quickly scooped up a cupful of water and handed it to Levi, who drank it down quickly and sloppily. He handed it back to her, wanting another cup, and she quickly refilled it. After a few more cups of water, Levi had laid back again and sighed.

"Thank you…" he said softly as he closed his eyes.

"You're welcome…" Petra sat there next to him, both silent for a few moments. "So…how are you feeling?" she spoke up.

Levi opened his eyes and glanced at her, the dark circles around his eyes more defined. "Like shit. Mother fucking…shit…" he began to cough a bit, prompting Petra to give him more water.

After a moment of Levi coughing and trying to gulp down more water, Petra looked at him, her eyes full of concern.

"You shouldn't be speaking so much…save you strength…"

"I can handle a shitty little illness…." He scowled, before examining her face once more. "You look tired."

"Oh…well…it's alright…"

"No, really…you look like shit."

"I know. And no offense, but you look worse…"

Levi only blinked and looked at her for a moment.

"A little sassy, aren't we?" he asked weakly, but still in a very sarcastic tone.

"Well, I learned it from you after all…" she muttered.

"Huh." Levi rolled his eyes and scoffed. She really did look awful…like she had not gotten any sleep all at all that night.

"Petra, go to bed…"

"I'm alright…really…"

"I didn't ask if you were alright…go to bed."

"I don't want to yet."

"That's an order."

Petra looked at the Captain, completely appalled and stood up, now hovering over him. "Sir, you are in no condition to be by yourself right now! That's why I'm here-!"

Before Petra could even finish, Levi had grabbed her wrist and yanked her downward onto his bed, right on top of him.

"Mm!"

Her face was now extremely close to his, much like it was merely weeks ago. Being so close to Levi was now stirring up old feelings from that night, causing her heart to race fast. This was the last thing she wanted; she did not want to get all emotional around Levi, especially now in his weakened and dangerous state. Their faces were so close that they were almost touching, and both were staring directly into each other's eyes.

Levi put his hand behind her head and brought her closer to him, to where their foreheads were actually touching now. Petra's face was heating up fast. Way too fast…

"Heichou…." Petra spoke softly.

"Go to bed, Petra." Levi whispered.

"No…"

"No? You're saying no to your commanding officer?"

"I'm sorry Heichou…you're just ill and…"

"Don't cross me…"

"I'm sorry…"

"Tch. No you're not. Please…" he closed his eyes, with his forehead still pressed against Petra's and his hand still tangled in her hair. "Get away from me."

"Levi…"

"I'm not going to be responsible for your illness…you're not even wearing a mask this time. Quit being stupid and…" he paused for a moment, waiting for a small throbbing in his head to pass. "Go to bed. God damn, Petra…" he whispered.

"Fine…but you need to sleep too…" Petra whispered back.

"Christ…you're so fucking difficult lately…"

"Hush…just go to sleep…." Petra said softly again.

"Fuck, Petra…"

"Shhh…"

The two sat there for a moment, foreheads touching, but not exchanging any words. They stayed like this for about five minutes, before Levi began to feel drowsy from the chamomile tea again. Levi mumbled something unrecognizable under his breath before his eyes got heavier and his eyelids fell once more. Petra stayed there, with her forehead pressed against Levi's, and his hand still gently holding the back of her head. After about ten minutes, Levi was fast asleep once again, and Petra removed herself from him. She took a seat in the chair next to his bed again and rung out a fresh rag, placing it on his forehead. She was extremely tired at this point, but still didn't want to leave his side.

She just didn't want to.

She loved him too much to do that, despite his commands.

She ended up laying her head down onto his bed, resting it in her folded arms. She was just going to take a nap…

Just a quick one….


	2. Chapter 2

"Petra?"

"Mmm…"

"Petra…"

_Levi?_

What was he doing up? Was he alright?

Petra slowly opened her eyes to find that she was still in Levi's room, still at his bedside. But it wasn't dark anymore, as sunlight was peeking through the large window. She was hunched over with her head resting on his bed, her arms covering her face. Had she really slept here all night? Before she even had much time to react, she felt a firm hand on her shoulder, nudging her a bit.

"Petra?"

What Petra thought was Levi's voice was far from it. Petra quickly sat up, seeing that she was surrounded by her commanding officers, including Hanji, Mike, and Commander Erwin. Petra turned to see that the hand on her shoulder had belonged to Hanji, as well as the voice. Moblit was also standing beside Squad Leader Hanji, along with the doctor that Petra had briefly seen yesterday. Petra quickly snapped out of her groggy daze and stood up immediately saluting, wrinkled clothes, messy hair and all.

"As you were." Hanji smiled. "Slept here all night I see?"

"Oh! Well I didn't mean to! You see…I needed to tend to the Captain a little longer…and he was being a bit…well…stubborn…" she said the last part a little softly, with Erwin and Hanji looking at one another. They expected that sort of thing from Levi.

"And I was sitting beside him giving him more to drink…and then I guess I dozed off. My apologies…."

"It's quite alright, Petra." Erwin stepped forward. "Hanji told me about how you stepped up and really helped them last night. I'm sure it really helped Levi when you brought down the fever."

"It was nothing at all!" Petra put her hands up, looking a bit bashful. She was too modest for the most part…and usually got really embarrassed when someone praised or complimented her.

"I was just doing my duty as a soldier…taking care of my Captain." She glanced back down at the bed, where Levi was still laying sound asleep. He was sleeping more peacefully, much better than he was last night. But he still looked extremely ill, and worse, his cheeks were flushed with fever once more.

"I can see you're worried, but rest assure." Hanji spoke up. "We were able to get the vaccine. The doctor here is about to give Levi the shot."

"That's great news!" Petra's face lit up. The vaccine was finally ready; maybe she could stop worrying herself sick over Levi now.

"Now listen, the doctor is going to give Levi the vaccine first. He is more important right now. Then the rest of the squad will be getting the shot. Petra and Moblit, since you were around Levi for a good amount of time last night, you will be getting a dose before the rest of the squad, for precautionary measures." Hanji said.

"You as well, Squad Leader?" Moblit looked at Hanji.

"Yep." Hanji smiled. "Alright, now let's get to it, doc! We don't have a moment to spare."

"Yes, of course." The doctor headed over to Levi's bedside and began unpacking his bag and preparing the vaccine.

Meanwhile, Levi shifted and slowly opened his eyes.

"What the fuck…shitty glasses…?" he mumbled.

Hanji looked at him and smiled warmly. "Well good morning, sleepy head."

"What the hell is going on…?"

"The doctor is here to give you the vaccine."

"Yeah well is there a reason why everyone and their mother are in the room?" Levi growled before letting out a horribly wet sounding cough.

A worried look crossed Petra's face and she reached her hand out to him, about to say something, before Erwin stepped in.

"Levi, cooperate with the doctor. The sooner you get the vaccine in you the better."

"Yeah, not to mention you really look like shit." Hanji added on.

"Fuck you…" Levi grumbled as he struggled to sit up.

"Do you need help?" Mike stepped forward.

"No." Levi put his hand up and continued to lift himself up, blankets falling off of him.

"Wow he's in a mood." Mike mumbled to Hanji. "Worse than usual."

"Well what do you expect? He must feel terrible…" Hanji watched as the doctor readied a syringe.

Petra only watched as the doctor cleaned the skin on Levi's shoulder before piercing him with the needle. Levi feeling terrible was an understatement. She had practically looked after him all night and there was really nothing she could do but watch him suffer. Levi slightly flinched at the needle, cursing a bit.

"This will be a bit rough on the body, so he'll be sore for a couple of days in this area. This will also weaken him by a lot…so it's important to closely monitor him for the next few hours."

"So what you're saying is that there's a chance this won't work?" Hanji crossed her arms over her chest.

"There is a chance, yes, due to the severity of his condition. However, he has only been ill for a day, and the chance is minute…but it's best to wait for the vaccine to kick in just to be sure."

"Understood. Thank you for coming out here, doctor." Erwin shook the doctor's hand.

Petra only looked at Levi, who still looked as miserable as ever. Hopefully the shot given to him would take effect soon. All she wanted was to see him up and about again, for it just wasn't right seeing him so bedridden.

The commanding officers then received their vaccines one by one, then Moblit, and lastly Petra. Mike, Erwin, and Moblit left the room, leaving Petra and Hanji with the doctor, and Levi still lying in bed. Petra removed her military jacket, handing it to Hanji, who offered to hold it for her. Petra unbuckled the harness strap across her chest and unbuttoned her shirt halfway. She pulled her shirt down slightly, enough to reveal her shoulder for the doctor. He cleaned the skin on her shoulder before injecting the vaccine into her. She flinched at the needle as well; for it must really be some strong stuff if it caused Levi to make a face at it. The doctor removed the needle and put some cloth to the injection site.

"Put a little bit of pressure here, please." He said as Petra nodded and held the cloth to her skin. As the doctor turned to his bag for the roll of bandages, Petra glanced over at Levi.

He was sitting up, leaning against the headboard, with his head cocked to the side, looking at Petra. Petra's cheeks immediately flushed a deep red, as part of her chest was exposed, revealing her bra. Before she could say anything though, Hanji was already heading over to him.

"What are you doing? Sneaking a peek? Really?" Hanji flicked the side of his head with her thumb and index finger.

"Umf! What the hell was that for?" Levi scowled.

"For being inappropriate!" She made a sour face towards him.

"Are you shitting me right now? If you think that was what I was doing then you are the one with the dirty mind, not me. Why are you two stripping in front of me anyway?"

Petra blushed and turned away at Levi's choice in wording.

Stripping.

She started hoping that the doctor would quicken the pace with the bandage wrapping.

"We thought you were asleep!" Hanji placed her hands on her hips.

"So that's your reason?"

Hanji rolled her eyes before looking back at him and grinning mischievously. "You dirty old man. You just wanted to sneak a peek at Petra, didn't you?"

"I swear I will kick your shitty glasses ass to kingdom come once I'm well…"

"Looking forward to it." Hanji smiled once more and looked back at Petra, who was now quickly buttoning up her shirt again.

"Petra!"

"Yes?" Petra quickly stood up while putting her jacket back on.

"Unfortunately, I have to get back to my own squad, and the Commander has prior engagements so…your task today is taking care of Levi."

Levi only sighed and sank back into the bed. Petra, on the other hand, still tried to process what the squad leader was saying. Before she could even respond to Hanji's order, she was already heading out the door.

"Wait! Squad Leader! Hanji!"

"Yessss?" Hanji swung her head around as she reached the doorway.

"This is my assignment? Caring for Heichou…?"

"That's correct. Come here, Petra."

"Mm." Petra nodded and walked over to Hanji, who pulled her in closer and lowered her voice to a whisper.

"You see, you are the most capable of the squad right now. You know how to keep his fever down and watch him like a hawk." She smiled, causing Petra to blush a bit. "You have…well, not to stereotype, but a woman's touch. Erd and Gunther would be capable, but they lack your medicinal skills. Auruo seems to be a bit too cocky and may not keep his cool. And Eren…seems a little clumsy…he'll get his ass handed to him by Levi if he did something like try to feed him medicine…or worse…spill something like hot tea on him…"

Petra blinked, only able to picture what sort of catastrophe that would cause.

"What I'm trying to say is…I think your kindness calms him. You as a person calm him."

"I…" Petra paused. "I don't know about that…"

"Oho, I see it. Now I understand why he likes having you so close, aside from being the only one who can make his coffee the right way." She laughed, but Petra only felt her face getting warmer.

Heichou…_liked_ having her close by?

"Now, if anything serious happens, you send a soldier to one of us immediately, alright?"

"Yes sir!"

"Alright. Until later then." Hanji nodded and exited the bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

Petra just stood in the middle of the room for a moment, staring at the floor. Her thoughts have been all over the place the past few days, and quite frankly, it was starting to get to her.

"Oi, Petra."

Petra blinked, snapping out of her thoughts and turning around to face Levi.

"Yes, what is it Captain?"

Levi was sitting up in bed again, with his tired eyes looking at her. "You are not obligated to stay here. I'm perfectly capable of handling myself."

"But Heichou…"

"Seriously, it's nothing I can't…!" Before Levi could even finish his sentence, he started coughing heavily once more.

Petra hurried over to her Captain, who was now hunched over, coughing into a handkerchief.

"Here…" Petra readied a glass of water and handed it to Levi.

After a moment of more coughing, Levi finally took the glass and drank. Petra noticed his cheeks were flushed red again, so she reached out her hand and gently placed her palm on his forehead. She then flipped her hand over and felt his forehead again with the back of her hand. Levi just laid still and watched her with exhausted eyes. He didn't say one word as she felt along his face with delicate, but slightly callused fingers. She was gentle with him; so careful, for some reason. She always had that way about her whenever she had touched him. Granted, the only other time she had touched him until now was weeks ago, when they had been drinking, and they had slept in the same bed together that night. She was sweet, but also bold. Too bold. She had taken the liberty of touching him all over, without any regards at all. She even went as far as kissing him…and it was not something he had forgotten. She was kind, and she was gentle. But underneath all of that sweetness was a feisty and rebellious woman, who sometimes didn't listen when she should. It infuriated him….but it also fascinated him…thrilled him, even.

Levi blinked.

What in the hell was he thinking? And now of all times? It was the sickness…it had to be…

"Captain?"

"…Huh?" Levi came back to reality as Petra removed her hand from his face.

"You have a fever again….so… I'm staying here."

"I don't need you here."

_I don't need you here._

That same sentence from a few weeks back echoed in her head.

"But Captain…"

"Petra…" Levi cut her off once again, this time making Petra a little more than aggravated.

"Please, Heichou! You can't take care of yourself!" she began to raise her voice. "Quit being a stupid and stubborn idiot and just let me help you!"

A moment of silence fell between the two.

Levi only stared at her, blinking once. "Stupid…and stubborn idiot, huh?"

Petra's eyes widened. She called him stupid.

And an idiot.

However, before she could counter or try to take it back, Levi laid back and closed his eyes.

"Fine. Stay if you want to."

"Heichou…" Petra's face softened as Levi slightly flinched in pain. His symptoms must have come back…

Petra didn't waste any time preparing another batch of the disgusting liquid remedy and the tea paste from before. As she worked quickly, Levi fell in and out of sleep. The vaccine must have really been taking a toll on his body, as well as the sickness it was trying hard to fight off. That girl was going to continue to stay by his side all day, and even all night if she had to.

He didn't want her there.

He didn't want her there because he did want her there. She was starting to stir him up again, and he didn't want that.

His head continued to pound as he fell in and out of a rough sleep. At one point he was awoken to take more of the fever remedy from Petra. He didn't fight her this time, as he really wanted to get well already, and a day and a half has gone by already and he felt pathetically helpless. He took the concoction with no trouble, unlike yesterday, which surprised Petra. She wasn't going to complain though; he was actually acting nice for a change. Yesterday he was acting a bit childish…which she tried to understand due to his health…but this was much nicer.

"Want some water?" she asked.

"Please…" he made a face after finishing the remedy.

"Make sure you drink it all. You need to re-hydrate your system after this."

"Yeah…" Levi didn't hesitate to drink down every last drop of water before laying his head back for a moment. However, before he could get a moment of peace, Petra was back again with her special paste.

"Here." She put the spoon to his mouth. He rolled his eyes and took the paste.

"Hopefully this will be the last time…I know it's a pain." She smiled, trying to lighten his mood a bit.

Levi felt stupid for letting her face heat him up like this…but…

"It's fine…I just want to be well already…" he took another drink of water.

"I know, but it takes time…especially in your case. You need to rest. This paste should make you nice and sleepy…I noticed you have been dozing on and off."

"…Thank you." Levi said before closing his eyes once more.

Petra only looked at him for a moment, before getting up and cleaning up the area, once again disinfecting and so on.

Levi slept for a good couple of hours, with Petra checking up on him every so often. He slept pretty soundly for the most part, with the exception of once that day. Petra had walked in to change the rag on his forehead, only to see a pained look on his face as he slept. He began to sweat pretty profusely once again, but it was a good sign to Petra, for that meant his fever was breaking once more. She decided to take a cold rag to his head once more to help cool him off and rid him of some of that sticky sweat. While he was sleeping, she sat at his bedside again and took the cold rag to his face, dabbing the sweat from his brow. He started to mutter something in his sleep, and was beginning to look a little tense and uneasy. His breathing picked up pace and he began to squirm a bit.

"No...ung…!" His muttering was getting slightly louder and his face even more tense. Petra looked at him, examining his actions. A look of worry fell over her face; this wasn't his sickness…he was dreaming. But by the looks of things, it seemed more like he was stuck in a nightmare. Petra jumped, startled as Levi thrashed once and decided that it would be best to wake him.

"Heichou?" she gently shook his shoulder, only causing him to groan aloud once more. "Levi!" she shook him harder, suddenly waking him from his deep sleep.

"….!" His eyes shot open and he whipped his head towards her, grabbing her arm that gripped his shoulder and yanking her towards him forcefully. She nearly fell into him, catching the horribly cold and fierce look in his steely eyes.

"Ah!" she moaned as his grip tightened. "Heichou! It's me! Ow…! Please stop!"

Levi sat there, his hand tightly wrapped around the girl's forearm. His breathing was elevated, and he was ready to kill anything that tried to lay a hand on him…or his comrades…but…this girl. He looked into those amber eyes, ones that were full of worry and uncertainty. He wasn't in danger…

"Petra…." He breathed and immediately loosened his grip on her.

"Levi…" Petra looked at him as he shrunk back, with a look on his face that she had never seen before.

Anguish.

"Shit…" he cursed. "I was…dreaming…"

"Yes… I think you were having a nightmare…are you alright?"

Levi remained silent for a moment, as if trying to compose himself. The look of anguish quickly escaped his face as he went back to his usual calm and cool state.

"I…yes. It was just a dream…although….it's been a while since I've had that sort of dream." He sighed.

"May I ask…what it was about, Captain?"

Levi only blinked and looked back at Petra. "I dreamt of the past…that was all…"

Petra only sighed silently and picked up the rag she had dropped when Levi had grabbed her. That was all she would get out of him and she knew it. No point in trying to pry.

"Petra…are you alright? I didn't hurt you…did I?" he looked at her, sounding slightly concerned.

"Oh! No…I'm alright…" Petra rubbed her arm where he had grabbed her.

"I did…you said so…"

"I'm alright…really…" she moved close to him again, sitting in the chair near his bedside. His face was still paler than usual, and a bit of red was visible under his sickly and tired eyes. He was still sweating, which was good. It meant his fever was breaking again. She dipped the rag into the bucket of water beside her feet and rung it out, before putting the rag to Levi's forehead again.

Levi sat still, staring down at his lap and keeping his thoughts to himself. It had been a while since he had dreamt of the past…who was he kidding…it was a nightmare. He was sure that he had finally gotten over this…finally able to get the faces of his dead comrades out of his head…his memories of the underground…those little feet of a young boy stepping through puddles of blood…

No. Those memories were never going to leave. No matter how much he suppressed them…those nightmares always returned to him, one way or another.

At that moment, he felt a cool touch to his forehead. He blinked and lifted his eyes to see Petra with a wet cloth in her hand, gently dabbing his forehead. He only stared at her and she continued to dab at his face. The sickness was really making him exhausted, but he was actually gradually starting to feel better. Levi continued to watch her, actually letting her touch him because, he had to face it, and it felt good.

"Petra…"

Petra stopped and moved the rag from his face, knowing she had crossed the line between them once again.

"I'm…sorry. I was just…getting that gross sweat off of you…I know you don't like the feel. Plus the cold water was helping your body temperature level out and…um…" she started to lose track of her words.

"It's alright…it feels nice…could you do it again please?"

Petra gripped the rag a bit, trying not to get nervous. "Oh…okay then…"

She placed the rag on his forehead again and gently dabbed his sweat away again, with Levi leaning his head back and closing his eyes, liking the feel. She moved the cloth down to his jaw, and then to his neck. He opened his eyes once more after noticing her hand was straying from his face.

"You are very sweaty, Heichou…" she said softly.

"Well it's extremely warm in here…"

"No, its fine…I'm happy you are." She moved the cloth across his collarbone. "It means you are sweating out the fever so…hopefully this will be the last time."

"I see…" Levi said, not quite paying attention to her words…but to her hands.

Her movements…

Her face…

"Hey…" he gently placed his hand over hers.

"Huh…? Yes?" she looked up at him. His hand over hers was…nerve wracking. She was trying so hard not to get flustered over something so ridiculous…until the action that followed changed things.

"My chest too…it's sweaty as hell…" He moved her hand down past his collarbone and to his chest.

"Oh…sure…." She dabbed at his chest…but Levi didn't remove his hand from hers. He was guiding her hand over his bare chest…his body. About a minute went by as she continued to gently touch him with the cloth, slowly and softly, with the Captain's hand still enveloping hers.

What was he doing…? Why was he holding her hand like this?

"I really am sorry…if I had hurt you." Levi spoke up, speaking softly. It wasn't my intention you know…" he gently brushed his index finger over her knuckles.

Petra felt her face warm up. This was way too much. He was being really…gentle…and kind. What had gotten into him? She quickly wriggled her hand out from under his and pulled away, followed by her hastily standing up from the chair.

"Please Heichou…don't worry about me…you didn't hurt me. I know you were just having a bad dream so…" she quickly tried to change the subject.

"So…how are you feeling…?" She asked, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice. But Levi knew better. She had unconsciously pushed a bit of hair behind her ear, something she did when she was flustered or didn't know what to say.

"What's the matter? Did I make you feel uncomfortable just now?" he cocked his head at the flustered red head.

This only made Petra feel even more on the spot. "No…not at all!" she smiled warmly.

She had lied.

Levi sat himself up in bed and looked out the window, then back at Petra.

"I'm actually feeling much better than before…"

Petra blinked, remembering the first question she had initially asked him.

"Really? That's great!" Her face lit up. So the vaccine must have been working. And it was beginning to show; Heichou didn't look as sickly as before and he hadn't coughed once since he had awoken. She reached her hand out and felt his forehead under the strands of hair hanging over his brow.

"Ah, and your fever has gone down a lot." She smiled at him and removed her hand. "Would you…like to try and eat today? I know you hadn't eaten at all yesterday…"

"I suppose I could…I am hungry." Levi was actually extremely hungry, meaning his appetite had returned, which was good.

"Oh great!" Petra clapped her hands together in delight. "Here…" she quickly readied him a glass of water to drink and handed it to him. "Drink it all up. And I'll bring you some food alright?"

Levi nodded and Petra made her way to the door.

"Oi, Petra…" Levi spoke up again.

Petra looked back at the Captain and cocked her head. "What is it?"

"I…well, thank you…" he muttered before turning his gaze back to the window.

Petra only blinked, followed by a gentle smile.

"_Heichou really is kind."_ She thought, before letting herself out of his room and making her way to the kitchen.

Petra entered the kitchen and started up the stove. They still had a lot left over potato soup from the night before, so she decided to warm that up so not to waste any food. As she stirred the pot, Eren entered the kitchen.

"Oh, hey Petra. I didn't even know you were still here."

"Hello Eren." Petra smiled warmly. "Yes, I've been taking care of the Captain…that's what Squad Leader Hanji wanted me to do today."

"Oh? So…how is Captain Levi anyway? Is he…?"

"I think he'll be just fine. His cough is nearly gone and his fever went back down again. He's also been sleeping a lot, so I think the vaccine is doing its job. He just needs some food and some more rest I think."

"Well that's a relief…"

"…What's the matter? You look a little lost."

"Huh? Oh…It's nothing. It's just a little boring today is all."

"Boring?"

"With Heichou being laid up and all…there wasn't much for me to do today. Everyone else was assigned different projects for the day, but, uh…Miss Hanji said it would be best if I stayed in today." He shrugged and took a seat at the small table.

"Oh, I see…I suppose it's for the best."

Eren only let out a small groan.

"I know it's a little discouraging now…because you aren't used to people looking at you like this…" Petra went to the sink to fill a small silver kettle. "But Squad Leader Hanji and the Captain…even the Commander…they only have your best interest in mind; remember that."

"Yeah…I know…but I'm not making any progress at all…"

Petra set the kettle on the stove and went back to stirring the pot. "You worry so much, Eren. In the Scouting Regiment it's best not to worry about most things…otherwise you will make yourself sick. Just always be on your guard, as Heichou has always said. I can't say I understand your situation, because well, I don't…but…" she scooped some hot soup into a bowl and walked over to Eren.

"Keep your faith in Heichou…in the squad." She smiled sweetly at him and set the bowl down in front of him. "And you really are making progress."

Eren blushed at Petra's kindness. "Thank you, Petra…"

"Mmhm! There's more on the stove. I'll be upstairs okay?"

Eren nodded and began to eat as Petra set another bowl of soup on a tray and a small teacup and headed back upstairs.

Levi opened his eyes again when Petra came through the door. She walked over to him and set the tray on his lap.

"Alright," she looked around, making sure she hadn't forgotten anything. "It's a bit stuffy in here. How about I open the window and get you some fresh air?"

"Go for it." Levi dipped his spoon into the soup and began to eat.

Petra walked over to the window and lifted it open. She felt a small breeze gently caressing her face as she looked over the lovely view of the courtyard.

"Your room has a view!" she smiled and turned around.

"Yeah I guess…" Levi said; his words muffled from the food in his mouth.

He was eating so well, which was another good sign. Maybe she didn't have to worry as much anymore…

She sighed with relief and leaned on her elbows, looking out the window and up at the sky. It was a little hypocritical of her to tell Eren not to worry, when she had been worried sick over Levi for the past day and a half. Some things just couldn't be helped, she supposed. On a different note, the weather was beautiful today, and it was a bit of a shame that she and the Captain had to be cooped up inside. However, it was a good idea to open up a few windows; a little bit of fresh air would be good for him anyway.

"What is this?"

Petra snapped out of her thoughts and turned back to Levi.

"I'm sorry?" she stood up.

"This is black tea." Levi held the tea cup in his hand and looked at Petra, his face looking a bit surprised.

"Oh, yes…it is." She smiled.

"How did you get this?"

"A shop in town."

"Really…this is my favorite."

"I know." Petra smiled warmly, catching Levi off guard a bit. He never told her black tea was his favorite…at least he didn't think so. She must have just caught on somehow.

"There wasn't a whole lot available, though…I was going to buy it myself but the old woman insisted she give it to me." She laughed a little. "She was very kind. Oh and she told me to tell you the Ross family sends their regards."

Levi blinked, as if trying to think back. "Ross family…ah. Tch…that crazy old bat…"

Now it was Petra's turn to blink, a little caught off guard. "Huh…?"

"I knew her son a while back…we fought side by side. I had rescued him from a titan once when he was a rookie. Tch, almost got eaten on his first scouting mission." He reminisced. "Though, he couldn't let that go and had to introduce me to his whole damn family, what an idiot…"

"Oh…he's a soldier then?" Petra sat in the chair beside Levi's bed, interested in the story.

Levi took a sip of tea and set the cup down. "He was."

"Oh…" Petra looked down at her lap.

"He died a year later on an expedition. This was…maybe about ten years ago? I personally delivered the news to his family…for some reason they still extend kindness to me…I don't know why."

"Maybe…because they still appreciate what you've done. It obviously meant something to them…right?"

"I let him die…how could that possibly mean anything…"

Petra frowned, looking down at her lap for a moment, before looking back up at Levi, who was just staring into nothing. It wasn't like Levi to talk about the past, in fact, why he was suddenly bringing up something so personal didn't seem like him at all. She barely knew anything about his past to be honest, aside from the rumors she's heard from other people.

"Well…that's that." Levi set the tea cup down. "Thank you Petra."

"No problem…" she stood up and removed the tray from his lap, her thoughts still lingering on his story.

"I suppose I'll try to sleep a little more…but then I would really like to get up. There are a lot of things that still need to be done."

"But…Heichou…you need to at least try and recover for the rest of the day…"

Levi turned his head and looked at her, giving her a somewhat irritated look that said something along the lines of, _"Are you really trying to tell me what to do?"_

Petra only sighed. "Alright. Well, I'll be downstairs if you need anything alright?"

"Mm." Levi turned over on his side and sighed.

Petra wished Levi would just listen and stay in bed for the remainder of the day but…he was stubborn. And he hated being laid up, that was clear.

Petra only shook her head before exiting the bedroom.


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of the day went as per usual. Petra fixed things up around the place, with Eren helping alongside her. At one point they sat outside and enjoyed the nice weather and had some coffee, just chatting casually. As the sun started to set, Auruo, Gunther, and Erd rode in on their horses, returning from their respected assignments of the day. Alongside them were Squad Leader Hanji and Commander Erwin himself. Petra greeted them at the door, as they were probably there to check up on Levi.

"How is he doing?" Erwin asked.

"He's recovering quite well." Petra gave a gentle smile. "He ate, and he's been getting a lot of rest all day."

"No fever?"

"Mm, nope. Not since this morning."

"Well that is very good to know. Thank you again, Petra."

"Anything I can do to help."

Erwin nodded. "Well, Hanji and I would like to see him. But first we need to speak with Eren about something. It will be brief, but could you let Levi know we will be coming up?"

"Yes sir, no problem." Petra saluted before Erwin dismissed her.

Petra headed up the stairs and back to Levi's bedroom. She knocked a few times, waited a moment, and then knocked again.

"Heichou?" she called, before slightly opening the door. She peeked inside, only to see a neatly made bed with no Levi in it. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

"Heichou?" she raised an eyebrow and looked around.

"Out here, Petra." He heard Levi's voice; and it sounded somewhat far away, but she couldn't quite figure out where it was coming from.

"…Where?" she asked.

"Window."

"Mm…?" Petra walked over the large window that was still open. She looked out the window and looked around, still not seeing him anywhere in site.

"This better not be a joke, Heichou." She crossed her arms, getting a bit irritated.

"Tch, look down would you?"

Petra looked down to see Levi's hand popping out from some unknown space underneath.

"What the…?" Petra raised an eyebrow. "Where are you?"

"Climb down."

"Huh? But..!" Petra tried to object, before Levi cut her off.

"It's not far. Just don't fall."

"Mmm….." Petra groaned. She hesitated, and then climbed over the windowsill. "Now what?"

"Hold onto the ledge and just hang down."

"What? Are you crazy?"

"Don't worry. I got you."

"You 'got' me? Heichou, I swear if this is a joke…"

"Petra I don't joke. Just do it." He growled.

"Maybe if you act nicer towards me I will." She sat there, kneeling on the ledge as a moment of silence fell over the two. She then heard a small groan from Levi below.

"What was that?" she sang.

"…Please…" Levi muttered.

"See? Was that so hard?" Petra asked sweetly.

"Yes."

"Pfft. Alright, I'm coming down." Petra took a deep breath and dropped down, with her hands gripping the window sill. She immediately felt two arms wrap around her torso tightly, causing her to gasp softly.

"Alright, you can let go." Levi said.

Petra let go of the windowsill, letting herself fall, but it was only for a brief moment. Before she knew it she was face to face with Levi, with his arms still around her body. He was wearing his white uniform pants and standard white shirt, which was slightly unbuttoned at the top. His cravat was hanging around his neck, untied. They looked at each other for a brief moment, before Levi removed himself from her.

"Now, was that so hard?" he repeated Petra's words, only causing her to give him a sarcastic smile.

She looked around at the small and compacted area they were in.

"What is this place?" Petra asked.

Levi sat down and swung his legs over the edge, looking down at the courtyard.

"I believe it's an alcove of some sort. My guess it was a secret place back in the day…they probably covered this opening with royal tapestry or something."

Petra took a seat next to him, crossing her legs. "What do you think they hid here?" she asked.

"Tch, hell if I know. Weapons, treasure…anything."

"Huh…that's really interesting. When did you discover this?"

"Not too long ago…I like to come here when I need some peace and quiet."

Petra looked over at him. He was just sitting there, looking up at the sky.

"The stars are bright tonight…"

Petra looked up at the sky. Though there were clouds in the distance, the part of the sky that was uncovered was beautiful.

"Yes…they are beautiful."

"Mm…"

"Do you like star gazing, Heichou?"

"Sometimes…I suppose. Not as much as I used to." He lay back, crossing his arms behind his head. "The clouds always roll in…you know?"

Petra blinked and looked back at him, trying to comprehend what he was saying. "Oh…I did hear it was supposed to rain later?" Petra looked back at the sky, and sure enough, the clouds were rolling on in.

"It always ends up raining…I hate the rain…" Levi said softly, his voice drifting.

"You…hate the rain? But why?" Petra looked back at Levi, who wasn't responding. "Heichou?"

His eyes were closed and she saw his chest lightly moving up and down. She crawled over to him and looked down at the man, who was, in fact sleeping.

"Wh-what? Heichou! Are you really sleeping? Heichou!"

Levi continued to nap away, causing Petra to sigh heavily and lean against the wall. It had been an extremely long day, and though she really didn't mind caring for others, it just took a lot out of her. She looked around the alcove. It was a very small space indeed, and could probably only fit the two of them at the most. She looked down at Levi again, for she had no idea that he came here to be by himself…and what was he talking about clouds and rain like that for? He sounded almost depressed about it, but…

She put out her hand and lightly touched Levi's cheek with her fingertips.

He was really not himself today. For some reason, some of the things he did or said was just not like him. She hoped he was feeling alright.

"Heichou?" she asked softly. "You can't sleep now…Commander Erwin and Squad Leader Hanji will be up here any minute to check on you so…"

Levi continued to sleep, not hearing the concerned ginger haired girl beside him. Petra slid her hand over his forehead and gently through his hair. He looked really peaceful as he slept this time around, unlike earlier when he was suffering from his illness, and then his nightmares. This was probably the first good sleep he's gotten in nearly two days.

A flash of lighting appeared in the distance, followed by a large boom of thunder, startling Petra a little.

"Looks like a storm is coming…" she said to herself. The rain was moving in faster than she thought.

"Heichou…you should probably get up now…before the rain comes." She whispered, but didn't have the heart to try and wake him physically. She wanted him to have a nice sleep, at least this one time. She continued to run her hand through his hair, once again feeling a variety of emotions.

Why was she always doing this? Why was she always pushing boundaries with him and then getting so flustered when he would so much as touch her hand? She was ashamed and embarrassed because she really did…

She sighed, with distress starting to set in.

She really did love him.

And for that, she was ashamed.

She leaned down over his face, only inches away from her own, and kissed his forehead.

"Heichou…" she whispered. "I'm sorry…for feeling this way…" She leaned down further and brushed his lips over Levi's, kissing him softly. He was so warm…

Petra lifted her head and looked at Levi, who was, to her horror, awake and staring directly at her. She froze, completely unsure of what to do at this point. He said nothing, only continued to stare at her with a look on his face that she did not recognize. Confusion? Shock? She didn't even know. She didn't want to know. All she wanted to do was move, do something. He had caught her, so now what was she going to do? How could she let herself get so caught up in all of this? She turned away from him and did the only thing she could think of.

She had to get away.

She went to crawl near the entrance of the alcove, but her plans of escape were cut short when Levi shot a hand out and gripped Petra's forearm tightly, yanking her back to him.

"Nyah!" she yelped, sounding almost desperate.

She didn't want to be near him, all she wanted to do was get away. But he wouldn't let her get away. He had shot up and was on his knees now, pulling Petra back to him. He pulled her into him, and now they were so close that their bodies were pressing against each other. Before Petra could even get a word out of her mouth, Levi yanked her forward and crashed his mouth against hers. He began to kiss her, right there in the secret alcove under his window, just as the storm was moving in.

"Mmmf! Heich-mmmf!" Petra tried to speak, tried to get her Captain's attention, and even tried to push him away, but he would have none of it. All that caused him to do was place his arm behind her lower back and pull her in even closer. He continued to gnaw away at her lips, kissing her long and hard.

Petra clenched his shirt with tight fists as he continued to kiss her; half of her wanting him to get the hell off of her, and the other half wanting more of him. She was starting to lean more towards the latter, with her fists eventually starting to loosen and let go of his shirt. She was giving in, now returning his deep kisses. With his one hand pressed firmly on her waist, he moved the other to the back of her head, moving his fingers through her lovely ginger hair. He also took the opportunity to get her even closer to him, because that's all he wanted; for Petra to be as close to him as humanly possible.

"Nnn!"

Levi had slipped his tongue into her mouth. A bit forcefully at that, and it somewhat caught her off guard a bit but…

"Nnn…"

He felt good…really good.

She tasted his tongue, his saliva, his lips…everything. His tongue then moved slowly around her lips before he decided to lock her into another deep kiss once more. He felt so good…his lips were warm and his kisses were surprisingly tender. He was so easily addicting, that she didn't even try to get away from him anymore. He broke away for a moment and kissed her cheek, then her jaw, and then began to trail gentle kisses all down her neck.

"Mmm…! Hei…chou…"

"Shh…" Levi nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck, much like he did on that one drunken night. He continued to kiss her neck, his hands gripping her hips tightly as his kisses turned more aggressive. "Give into me…"

"Ah..!" a small moan escaped Petra's lips, making her more embarrassed then she already was, and making Levi want her lips all over against. He lifted his head and pulled her in, once again attaching his warm lips to hers.

She was getting sucked in…no…she was already sucked in. This was too much, too fast…but she couldn't get away. She was hooked and now she wasn't even sure if she cared or not anymore.

"Mmf!" he had her on her back, now hovering above her. He slowly began to untuck her shirt and slipped his hands underneath. He began to gently rub his fingertips into her hips, making slow circular movements. This only made her even crazier, as he was teasing her once again. She let out small little gasps as he continued to touch her skin.

"Ah…you like being touched here…" Levi whispered as he kissed her face once again.

"That's not fair, Heichou…." She shivered as he continued to rub his fingers into her hips, making her moan again.

"What? That I found your weak spot?" he answered almost teasingly.

"S-stop…please…"

"I know you don't want me to stop…" he breathed.

"Heichou…"

"Levi." He corrected.

"Levi…" Petra wrapped her arms around him and spoke his name softly before he kissed her once more. She slid her own hands under the back of his shirt, feeling his warm skin come in contact with hers. She moved her hands gently down his back, feeling small goose bumps beginning to form over his skin.

"Petra…"

Her hands fell over his lower back, and she felt him slightly jolt once again.

"Stop…" he sounded stern, but his face said otherwise.

"That's not fair…you telling me to stop. I think I know where your weak spot is too…" she gently rubbed her fingertips into Levi's lower back, causing him to hiss out loud.

"Petra…! Fuck…" he didn't even try to hold back anymore and pinned her to the floor, once again pressing his mouth against hers, aggressively kissing her all over.

Petra moved her hands up Levi's back as he continued to kiss her. His hands then went to her shirt, as he clumsily fumbled with the harness strap across her chest. Then he quickly went to the buttons and began to forcefully rip her shirt open. But before he could go any further, a large flash of lighting and clap of thunder brought them out of their trance. Both of them looked up, a bit startled at the loud noise, and looked towards the alcove entrance. Rain began to fall, getting heavier by the second. Levi looked back down at Petra, who only stared up at him, not looking quite as blissful as she did a second ago, but now looking horrified.

"I'm…sorry…" she whispered.

"Petra…"

"Please…I have to go, Heichou…" she lifted herself from the ground as Levi removed himself from her.

He only watched her as she quickly crawled to the edge of the alcove and jumped up, catching the edge of the windowsill. It was already raining hard, and the stone was a little slippery, but she managed to lift herself up to the window, climbing back into Levi's room. She quickly headed towards the door, soaking wet, disheveled, and almost in a state of pure panic.

"Petra, wait…"

Petra stopped as she reached his door. She turned around to see him standing there in front of the window, soaking wet, just staring at her with those mysterious eyes of his.

"You don't have to go."

Petra looked at him briefly, trying to hold back a wide range of emotions.

"You should really dry off…you'll get sick all over again…" she turned away and headed out the door, quickly trying to button her shirt up, and nearly smacking into Hanji and Erwin.

"I'm so sorry! Please excuse me, Squad Leader, Commander!" she quickly saluted and hurried past the two. Erwin and Hanji only looked at one another with confusion on their faces before Hanji called after the girl.

"Petra? Hey, Petra!" Hanji called, but made no avail to get the girl to come back. She then looked into the bedroom only to see Levi standing there soaking wet, leaving a baffled look on both her and Erwin's faces.

"What…in the world was that all about?" Hanji asked as she stepped inside. "And Levi why are you all wet?"

"I was sitting by the window." He answered.

"Okay…?" Hanji raised an eyebrow.

"It started to rain. She was upset that I didn't come inside and got all wet…I suppose she's worried I'll get sick again." he lied.

Hanji only crossed her arms and gave Levi a sour look. "Well she should be worried! You idiot, do you want to get sick again when you just got well?"

"Why don't you get off me?" Levi growled, returning the glare. "Fuck."

"Well what got _you_ in such a mood?" she turned to the commander. "Can you _please _talk some sense into him, Erwin?" Hanji threw her hands up.

"_I'm_ in a mood? Tch! You just come barging into my room with your shitty glasses and you're going to give _me_ a mother fucking lecture?"

"Both of you just need to just step back." Erwin said a bit sternly, getting both Levi and Hanji's attention. "I know we are all stressed out as of late but you two really need to try and stay calm." He sighed, before shifting his attention over to Levi. "Levi, there are some things that need to be discussed. I called for an officers meeting and Mike should be arriving soon. You may want to dry off…"

Petra continued to hurry down the hall, hearing less and less of the conversation that was echoing off the walls coming from Levi's room. She finally made it to her room, where she quickly shut the door and locked it behind her. She slid down the wall, falling to the floor, where she pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face in her arms.

He wasn't supposed to know…

He wasn't supposed to kiss her back…

"Now what am I going to do?" she whispered to herself. "Come on Petra…pull yourself together. You are a soldier…you are strong. I shouldn't be letting this get to me." She sighed and sat back, resting her head against the door. "Okay…it happened…and I still have to face him."

There were three things she needed right now; a shower, some alone time, and some tea. Shower comes first. She stood up, now finally in control of her emotions…for now. She grabbed a towel and quietly exited her room, heading down the hallway to the shower. She let the water run for a minute as she peeled out of her wet uniform. She stepped into the shower and let the hot water run down her back. She was grateful that they actually had hot water today, as that was a rarity. She just stood there and let herself soak in the hot shower, continuing to let herself calm down and relax. She was usually known as the calm, reasonable, and kinder one out of the squad, however, she had her limits to all of that. She often would let emotions get the better of her if triggered enough; whether it be anger, fear, worry, etc. She wished she could keep her cool all of the time, but every time she thought she was in control, it all seemed to come crashing down on her.

She put a hand to the shower wall and the other to her heart. Her heart still wouldn't calm down.

All she could think about was kissing Levi, and how wonderful it felt. She still loved him, even she felt wrong about it. No matter what she did, for some reason, she could never stop loving that man. And that's why she didn't want to burden him. She shouldn't have done what she did, but it happened. So the only thing to do now was confront him about it and get it over with.

Easier said than done, of course.

Meanwhile Erwin and Hanji sat in the dining area, now joined with Mike who showed up only a few minutes ago. Hanji had gotten up and was attempting to make coffee, but made no avail with the coffee pot.

"Well this is frustrating. Where is Petra when you need her?" she pouted.

"Oh come on, you can't make your own coffee, Squad Leader?" Mike grinned and shook his head.

"It's not that!" Hanji retorted, a bit embarrassed. "She just so happens to make the best coffee…"

"Captain Levi! Sir!"

Erwin, Hanji, and Mike turned to the door, where Moblit was standing outside, saluting Levi.

"As you were…" Levi nodded towards Moblit and entered the room.

He was wearing more casual attire, as it was getting late and there was no point in trying to get into uniform now anyway. On top of that, Erwin insisted that it wasn't a big deal, and then Hanji practically yelled at him to take a warm shower so he wouldn't catch a cold, which he refused. That is, until Erwin told him to. So now, he was freshly showered and somewhat more annoyed than usual, but it was better than feeling the way he felt earlier, or even more so, how he felt yesterday. He glanced over at Hanji, who was still fumbling around with the coffee pot.

"What in the hell are you doing, you stupid idiot?" he sighed.

"Making coffee, what does it look like?"

"I don't know what it looks like, but it's not coffee…"

"You are just so full of sass today, aren't you? Moblit, you fetch Petra…I'm pretty sure she is the only one who knows how to work this thing."

"Tch…leave her be. She's been working all day…I'm sure she's tired…" Levi blinked, briefly thinking back to the heated moment he had with her not too long ago.

Hanji crossed her arms and grinned. "Well aren't _you_ being awfully considerate."

Levi quickly brushed away the thought of Petra and gave Hanji an annoyed look. "You're an idiot. Who doesn't know how to make fucking coffee?" He pushed past her and started messing around with the coffee pot.

A few minutes later, Erwin, Hanji, and Levi sat at the table, all pushing their coffee cups away from them, looking a bit disgusted.

"That was quite…uh…" Erwin started.

"Your coffee tastes like shit." Hanji said bluntly.

"Fuck off." Levi growled, but silently agreed. Hanji was right; Petra was the only one around here who could make a decent cup of coffee…well, more than a decent cup.

"Hey, I think it's pretty good." Mike took another sip.

"That's because for some reason, tons of coffee grounds appeal to you." Hanji rested her cheek in her palm.

"Alright, down to business." Erwin cleared his throat. "First, Levi, how are you feeling? Do you think you've fully recovered?"

"I feel fine. I should be able to come back to work tomorrow."

Erwin nodded and continued. "Listen, the military police have really been pressing down hard on us lately. They are being very persistent on shutting down this entire regiment."

"Tch. Fucking assholes don't know when to quit." Levi crossed his leg over his knee and leaned back in his chair.

"Exactly." Erwin sighed, agreeing with Levi. "Which is why this upcoming expedition in the next month is crucial. We had talked with Eren beforehand…"

"We need to try and speed up this process." Hanji spoke up. "Levi, how has his progress for controlling his titan abilities been coming along?"

"To be perfectly honest, like shit. He can't even figure out how to transform on his own. If he doesn't get on that soon, we're pretty much fucked in the ass."

Mike set down his coffee cup. "Isn't there a trigger? Anything that could help his progress?"

"Aside from inflicting self-harm to activate his titan form…no…as far as we know anyway." Hanji sighed, looking distraught. "What are we going to do?"

"That brat lacks skill. I swear he's also as dense as a fucking rock but…" Levi looked towards the doorway. "He has a lot of motivation. I have no doubt that when properly motivated he will be able to do what he has to do. However…" he looked back at his fellow commanding officers. "Training may have to get more intense. And I suggest longer hours as well. Like you said, Erwin, crucial times call for crucial measures."

"Mm." Erwin nodded. "I agree. Do what you have to do, Levi. I trust your judgment."

Hanji and Mike only glanced at each other, before Erwin continued to discuss other matters.

Meanwhile, the other members of squad Levi were huddled in the small kitchen, eating the last of the leftover soup, with the exception of Petra.

"What do you think they're talking about in there?" Eren asked.

"Probably you." Auruo said, mouth full of soup. "And how you are royally fucking up so far."

"Hey! What the hell?" Eren growled, about to stand up, before Erd planted his hand firmly on Eren's shoulder.

"Just let it go, Eren. He's just a little tense. We all are…"

"Mm…" Eren's expression calmed and he sat back down in his seat.

"You have to try and understand…" Gunther spoke up. "You are really our only option here, Eren. So the tension is going to be a little high. It's nothing personal, it's just well…"

"You need to try a bit harder." Erd continued.

"Mm…I am! You guys have to believe me! I'm trying with everything in me!" Eren raised his voice, now getting a little upset.

"Bah! Calm your ass down! Don't you even try to get all violent, or Captain Levi will kill you." Auruo growled, setting his spoon down.

"When will you stop treating me like a monster, Auruo?" Eren stood up, now angry.

"Until you prove me wrong, Eren Jaeger! If that's really who you are!" Auruo stood up as well.

"What in the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?!" Eren walked up to Auruo and got in his face.

Erd and Gunther only looked at each other and stood up as well, about to break up a fight if necessary.

"You…you had better get out of my face! I won't hesitate to kill you where you stand, you brat!" Auruo growled, grabbing Eren's shirt.

"Ah, what in the world is all of this commotion?" Petra's voice came from the doorway.

The men all turned to the kitchen door to see Petra standing there in her pajamas, short black shorts and a white t-shirt, a little big on her, which almost fell over her shorts. All the guys tried not to gawk at Petra who looked surprisingly cute in her PJs, before she walked over to Auruo and Eren. She had her arms crossed over her chest and was looking highly annoyed.

"Auruo, quit trying to talk like Levi Heichou and let Eren go. We are all tense right now…but you have to try and stay calm." She looked up at him, her face shifting from annoyance to concern.

"Mm…!" Auruo blinked and looked at her for a moment. He hated it when she looked all upset. He sighed heavily and let go of Eren, somewhat shoving him away. Auruo turned, his cheeks a bit flushed, but still trying to look tough. "Fine. Not worth my time anyway." He grumbled, sitting back down.

Petra only shook her head and sighed, before looking at Eren. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine…jeez…" Eren muttered, a little embarrassed, before sitting back down as well.

"So…what's going on in the dining area?" Petra looked at Erd and Gunther.

"Higher ups are having a meeting." Erd responded. "We're guessing about the upcoming expedition, Eren…etc."

"I see…" Petra took a seat next to Eren.

"So where have you been all day?" Auruo asked.

"I was here, taking care of…Heichou…" Petra trailed off, suddenly thinking of their heated make out session they shared not too long ago.

"Are you alright, Petra?" Gunther asked. "You looked a little flushed."

"Huh? I do?" Petra started to panic a bit. She was thinking about Levi and his tender kisses and now here she was, blushing in front of the other soldiers.

"You aren't getting sick, are you?" Auruo raised an eyebrow. "Are you catching what the Captain had?"

"Don't be stupid, I feel fine!" Petra glared at him. "Besides I took the vaccine too…I'm just a little tired. It's been a long day. Taking care of the Captain was not as easy as you might think." She cracked a small smile, as the rest of the guys only looked at her, not exactly knowing what she was talking about specifically, but somewhat feeling sympathy towards her. They knew the Captain could be a difficult man, especially when he was in a mood.

"Well, he looks well, so you must have done a great job." Erd smiled kindly.

Petra smiled back, still a little flushed. "I sure hope so…"

As the rest of the squad began to converse about other matters, Petra tried to act normal. She also tried not to think about Levi…about what had happened. But it was no use…she couldn't not think about it.

About him…

"Alright everyone, have a safe trip home!" Hanji smiled and waved to Erwin and Levi, who stood at the front entrance. She threw her hood over her head and hopped onto her horse as Moblit and Mike waited beside her on their own horses. "Levi, make sure you rest up! I'll be back tomorrow to check up on Eren's progress!" she yelled over the rain.

"Tch." Levi only rolled his eyes before Hanji headed off down the path, followed by Mike and Moblit. The rain was still coming down, and even heavier than before. Levi only looked after the three, until they were out of sight, lost in the downpour.

He blinked.

There it was again…memories he wanted to forget.

"Levi?"

"Mm?" Levi looked up at Erwin, who was looking a bit concerned.

"You seem off today. Are you sure you are feeling well?"

"It's probably this weather…you know…" Levi trailed off.

"Yes…well…" Erwin pulled his hood over his head. "Try to get a good night's rest. If you aren't feeling all the way well by tomorrow, it's alright if you take another day for recovery."

"Erwin, I'm fine. I'm not missing another day of work."

"I'm just saying. Well I'd better head out, before this weather gets any worse. Have a good rest of your night, Levi."

Levi only nodded as Erwin mounted his horse and began to head back towards town. He turned and went back inside; making sure the door was locked up. He walked towards the kitchen, where he saw his squad members exiting. They all saluted him, and asked him how he felt, before Levi dismissed them for the night. In all honesty, he felt fine, well, even. He was just extremely tired, but wanted to settle down with something to drink before turning in. He stepped into the dimly lit kitchen only to find Petra inside, with her back turned to him and doing something at the kitchen counter. She must have not noticed that he had entered, as she continued with her business for a good minute until she realized she wasn't alone in the room. Levi lightly cleared his throat to get her attention, causing her to jump, a bit startled. She quickly whipped her head around to see him standing there, Levi of all people. Though she felt her heart start to flutter, she decided it was only best to act normal. She didn't want to make things more awkward then they already were.

"Heichou…hi." She said softly and smiled at him.

Levi only blinked, all the while trying not to go all dry mouth from something as stupid as a smile…no matter how 'cute'.

"Hey…" was all he said before silence consumed them for another moment.

Petra was in her pajamas, looking almost like a different person when not in uniform, even if it was just sleepwear. Levi had not seen her in her pajamas since that drunken night a few weeks ago, and even then all she wore was a long t-shirt that had barely covered her thighs. At least now she was wearing shorts, though that didn't help his wandering eye much. He was still able to get a very good look at those fine little legs of hers, but couldn't look for too long, as she would have definitely took notice of that. In an attempt to not fall into another awkward moment, Levi finally spoke up.

"What are you doing out here so late? I thought you had turned in for the night."

"I just…got a little hungry was all." Petra lightly pushed a few pieces of hair behind her ear, not looking directly at him. He already knew that she felt nervous, simply by that action.

"I also wanted to see how the rest of the squad was doing…seeing as I haven't really spoken to them much during the past couple of days, with the exception of Eren. Uhm…so, is this coffee fresh?" Petra changed the subject and put her eyes on the coffee pot that had been brought back into the kitchen from the officers meeting. Levi's eyes shifted from her to the pot…the pot of shit coffee he had made prior.

"Yes…but it tastes pretty shitty."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean its shit coffee." Levi said bluntly.

"Did…you make this, Heichou?"

"…Yeah, and it's pretty bad so…I wouldn't drink it if I were you." He muttered and somewhat looked away.

Petra quickly noticed his change in speech and facial expression. Was he embarrassed? Without him noticing, she quickly put a hand to her mouth and tried not to giggle.

"Captain, I'm sure it's not that bad."

Levi looked back at her and glared. "Then why are you trying not to laugh?"

"Not at you! At the situation!" she laughed.

"What? Tch, Petra, you're strange…" he muttered.

"Well, I'm about to have some of the Captain's coffee." She grabbed a coffee mug and poured herself a cup, much to Levi's horror.

"I'm telling you it tastes like shit. Literal shit. I mean, drink it if you like shit flavored things…tch, come on Petra…" he grumbled, but that didn't stop Petra from mixing in her cream and sugar. She could already tell the thick texture of the coffee looked off…almost like mud…but…

She blinked and took a sip of the coffee, only causing Levi to sigh heavily.

Petra thought she was going to gag. The coffee was full of grounds and had the most awful bitter taste to it, despite the cream and sugar she had added. She tried extremely hard to keep it down, as she was not going to spit it out in front of the Captain, because one, she didn't want to gross him out, and two, didn't want to hurt the man's feelings…if that second one was at all possible. Well, it must have been possible if he seemed embarrassed over his bad, no, awful coffee. Regardless, she swallowed down the slimy liquid and set her cup down, smiling sweetly at him.

"What are you talking about? It tastes great!"

Levi looked and her and blinked. She drank it. She looked like she was about to gag a second ago, but she actually swallowed it all? Why?

Levi took a seat at the kitchen table and sighed. "You're fucking weird…"

This only made Petra laugh as Levi rubbed his forehead with his fingers.

"So…how are you feeling?" Petra asked. Very shortly after she asked that question, she hoped beyond hoped that Levi wouldn't bring up their little 'tete-a-tete'.

"Better…just tired." He simply responded.

"Why don't you turn in for the night?" Petra cocked her head at him.

"I never fall asleep right away so it wouldn't matter."

"Oh…"

Another moment of silence fell over them.

"Would you…like some tea?"

Levi looked up at her with tired eyes as she leaned against the kitchen counter. Her eyes were very soft tonight…and her smile was warm and inviting.

"There's still some black tea left." She sang.

Any excuse to sit out in the kitchen with her, and tea sounded nice anyway. Who knows when he'd be able to have his favorite kind again anyway so…

"Alright." He responded.

Petra smiled at him before turning around back towards the counter, where her smile began to falter. Her heart was beating like mad, uncontrollably, and way too fast for her own taste. Being around him was totally inevitable, and she loved and hated it at the same time. Levi had still not brought up the incident from earlier, which both relieved and terrified her all the same.

Terrified?

The Scouting Regiment was going through a much harsher situation, as well as the rest of humanity. She had fought countless titans and has received many scars in doing so. She's even looked death in the face a few times, all for the glory of the Scouts and humanity…yet something as simple as her feelings for a man terrified her? She grabbed the tea kettle and began filling it with water, while putting a hand to her forehead in complete distress.

She silently brooded over her feelings as she prepared the tea over the next five minutes, with her and Levi not sharing a single word. She finished preparing his tea and walked over to his side, setting the small cup in front of him.

"Drink up." She smiled at him once more.

"Thank you." He looked at her briefly before picking up his cup by the rim as he always did. "Where's yours?"

Petra blinked. "Oh, no, it's alright! There's only one bag of it left and…I did get it for you after all."

Levi took a sip of the tea, which tasted amazing, as always. Why was she always so sweet on him?

"I don't care. Have the last one. You've had a long couple of days."

"Heichou…"

"It's a great brand. I highly recommend you try it."

"Alright…thank you…" she went to the cupboard to grab another teacup, before pouring some hot water for herself.

Heichou was kind, even if he didn't show it often. She prepared herself some of the black tea that Levi insisted she have, before sitting down across from him at the small kitchen table. They didn't say much, only sat in silence as they sipped their tea. The rain was falling even harder than before, with the thunder and lightning starting up again.

"It's really coming down, huh?" Petra spoke up.

"Looks like it…" Levi took a final swig of tea before finishing it up; somewhat disappointed that it was all gone already.

"Do you think everyone got home alright?" Petra looked at Levi, somewhat concerned about the safety of her commanding officers.

"Don't worry about them…they can handle themselves just fine."

"Mm, yes, you're right." Petra stood up and walked over to the sink, where she washed out her cup and teaspoon, with her back to him once more.

Levi watched her as she cleaned up. He wanted to say something, anything, but what good would that have done? On top of that, he wasn't being completely honest with himself. He didn't want to pretend nothing had gone down between them. Even though she tried to act normal and composed, he could see right through her.

Petra walked over to Levi and looked at his cup. "Oh, are you finished?"

Levi only watched as Petra went to grab his empty teacup.

He wasn't finished…not in the slightest.

Before Petra could even so much as brush her fingertips against the teacup handle, Levi had grabbed her wrist and stood up hastily, startling Petra as another roar of thunder echoed through the castle. Levi only looked at her briefly, for what had to be only a fraction of a second, before saying one word only.

"No." and he pulled her in, pressing his mouth against hers.

"Mmf!" Petra felt his lips press against hers once more, so tender and passionate that he nearly took her breath away. They both tasted like tea, with a mix of bitter and sweet.

Petra knew she should just stop where she stood. She should take this moment to push him away, to scold him, to tell him that forcing a kiss on a woman unexpectedly was rude and wrong and unacceptable and….

Levi gently cupped Petra's lower back with his hand and pulled her closer to him, kissing her longer and a bit more aggressively.

"Mm…" Petra closed her eyes, once again giving into his mouth, feeling embarrassingly weak at the knees. Though his action was sudden and completely inappropriate, she couldn't help but also find it sexy…daring…

"Petra…" Levi breathed between kisses. His voice held a particularly smooth tone, with just a hint of longing. She continued to let him kiss her, as she gave in even more. They ended up kissing for a good five minutes, right there in the middle of the kitchen, heavily and aggressively, much like earlier. Though they were no longer near the table, as Levi had Petra pinned against the wall now, kissing her harshly and feeling all over her hips with his fingertips once more.

"Mmm…Levi…stop…" she ended up gasping.

"Why?" he whispered, before kissing her lips again.

"Not…fair…" she murmured between kisses.

Levi pulled back and looked at her for a moment, not showing much expression, before leaning into her again, with his head on her shoulder. Petra swallowed hard and her heart was nearly throbbing out of her chest at this point. Levi gently brushed his lips against her ear, causing her to shiver when his soft breaths rolled off of her skin.

"No Petra…it's not fair that you kiss me when I'm completely unaware of it. Like tonight. And a few weeks ago. So…we aren't quite even yet."

Petra blushed madly and tried not to stutter. "You…how did you? You were awake?"

"Tch. I'm a very light sleeper, Petra. You should know this about me by now." He whispered.

"Mm…" He was right, she should have known…did know. "I…somewhere in the back of my mind I knew that…" she whispered back.

"So why…" he pressed his lips to her temple, causing her to flinch and blush even more. "…did you insist on doing it?"

"I…don't know…" Petra trailed off.

"Bull-fucking-shit." Levi said as he took her chin in his hand and turned her towards him, once again kissing her lips less then gently.

"Hei…chou…!" she tried to say his name in between those forsaken kisses he was giving her, but made no avail. They continued to kiss for another couple of minutes, before Petra managed to pull away, looking at Levi with a pained expression on her face, yet was still completely flushed.

"Heichou! Please…" she looked extremely embarrassed, and was not doing a very good job at hiding it any longer, though, to Levi, this just made her even more adorably attractive to him.

"Please what?" Levi cocked his head at her, not really wanting to talk anymore. He just wanted to continue to taste her, to embrace her whole body. Something had really come over him, but this time he didn't seem to care.

"Please…we can't…we're even now." She whispered, looking away from him.

"Is that what you want?" he asked.

"Levi…" she said his name without thinking.

"Petra." He cut her off again, pressing his forehead up against hers. "Tell me you don't want me and I'll put an end to this right now." He whispered.

"Levi…no…"

"You don't want me?" he asked.

"That's not…true…" she put her gaze on him, worried that she would regret admitting that to him.

"Then you _do_ want me." Levi stated softly.

"What if I did…?"she trailed off, still keeping her eyes locked with his.

Levi stared at her, giving her a look of pure desire, at least for a moment, catching Petra off guard a bit. Before she could say anything else, or even try to take back what she had just said to him, Levi had caught her in another kiss. Just when she thought his kisses couldn't get any more rough, he stuck his tongue deep into her mouth, a bit forcefully…and almost desperately…but it was also sweet. She gave into him, clutching his shirt as he had her tightly pinned against the wall, letting his lips wander all over hers. His lips were not the only thing that was wandering, as his hands began to feel up her hips again, as he slowly tucked his fingers under her shirt, slowly going up her back.

Petra then had a small feeling of panic. What else was he planning on doing? She had almost let him under her shirt in the alcove earlier…but they were not exactly in private, and now everyone was home and they couldn't just do things like that right here in the middle of a dirty kitchen…could they? Petra was enjoying his hands so much, but wanted so bad to speak up…and yet she continued to kiss him, pushing back any panic and 'what if' thoughts. Of course, after finally doing so, the two heard footsteps in the hallway.

"Heichou?" Eren's voice called.

Levi pulled away from Petra, and she could clearly see a look of pure annoyance on his face.

"God fucking damn it…" he muttered removing his hands from beneath Petra's shirt. He backed away from her, now causing a cold gap in between them, much to Petra's dismay.

Eren slightly pushed the kitchen door open, appearing before the two in his pajamas. "Oh, I'm sorry…was I interrupting something?" Eren looked at Levi, and then at Petra.

"Oh, no! Not at all, Eren!" Petra smiled, trying not to look nervous.

"Are you…sure?" Eren raised an eyebrow.

"What is it? Spit it out already." Levi growled.

Eren blinked, wondering why the Captain was so cranky towards him all of the sudden.

"I uh, had a question to ask you, Captain!" he saluted.

Levi sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah okay, have a seat Eren." He glanced at Petra momentarily, before she smiled and quickly clapped her hands together.

"Well! I'll just leave you two to your conversation. It's late, so I think I'm going to turn in. Goodnight Eren, Captain Levi." She nodded at the two, and with that, she quickly headed out the kitchen door, with Levi and Eren staring right after her, and Eren still looking slightly confused.

"Tch…" Levi was annoyed as ever. Now of all times the brat wanted to have a heart to heart chat. And then Petra sweetly calling him 'Levi' quickly went back to 'Captain'. But regardless of his feelings, it was best to tend to Eren first, since he was the most vital thing to this upcoming expedition. His personal feelings for Petra would have to be put to the side, at least for the time being.

About an hour later, Petra had awoken once more, this time from the relentless rain and thunder coming from outside. She got up to use the restroom, and had even gotten a glass of water just to kill time. It was late, maybe around midnight, and she knew she should be getting a good night's rest, but she couldn't seem to calm her mind down; not in the slightest. So much had happened during the past couple of days, and she was worn out mentally, physically, and emotionally. This should all have been reason enough for her to sleep, but no, here she was, wide awake, roaming the castle halls like some weirdo. She sighed to herself.

"_You really haven't been yourself lately…" _

At that moment, she had just so happen to walk past Levi's room, the room she had spent the last two days in. She stopped in front of his door for a moment, just staring up at it.

She shouldn't…she wouldn't…would she?

This was stupid…

He was probably asleep by now. The last thing she wanted to do was wake him up if he was finally getting a decent good night's sleep. She was about to turn around and head back to her own room when she looked down at the stone floor beneath her feet. There was a small amount of dim candle light coming from underneath the door. Maybe he was still awake after all, which didn't surprise Petra too much. From what she knew of him, he had trouble sleeping, and was indeed a very light sleeper, for reasons unknown to her, though she did have a hunch. She turned back to his door and stared at it once again for a moment. She sighed heavily and held up her hand, clenching it into a small fist.

"_Petra…what in the hell are you doing?"_

Her heart started racing at this point, once again making her feel more nervous by the second.

"_Don't you dare knock on that door…"_

Her thoughts kept racing, her mind on the brink of overload. Maybe she should, maybe she shouldn't, but regardless, her fist swiftly hit the wooden door three times, echoing a bit loudly through the hallway. She waited for a moment, nervously staring at the door. She was actually doing this…she was nuts. She was fucking nuts. She still had time to run…she did. But even though her thoughts kept telling her to get away, she didn't want to.

The door slowly came ajar, letting more of the dim light into the dark hallway. And then there he was, standing only a few feet away from her once more. He blinked, looking at the ginger haired beauty standing in front of him. He never expected her to show up at his door, especially now of all times.

"Petra…"

"Hey, Heichou…" Petra smiled softly, trying not to look bashful.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing…just can't sleep…" she trailed off, still keeping her gaze on him.

"Me neither." Levi kept his eyes locked onto hers as well. "So...are you alright? Why are you here? Did you need something?

Petra only looked at him, her eyes softening. She swallowed hard, knowing that the next words out of her mouth would either make or break them both.

"I…just wanted to see you…Levi…"

Levi only looked at her, her words hitting him even harder than he ever thought possible. For some reason, she was the only one who knew how to make him feel like this…weak, even a little pathetic at times, to the point where even when she dropped his name it made him feel good. He kept his gaze on her. She was beautiful, and kind, and…he wasn't finished yet. He should have finished in the kitchen, hell, he should have finished under the alcove…for fuck's sake he should have never even started with her, but he was in way too deep now. It didn't even matter anymore. Levi was not one to think about the past, or even try to think about the future. All he wanted to think about was the present; what was happening right now at this very moment.

"Funny…I wanted to see you too." Levi admitted, causing Petra to blush lightly and her heart to flutter.

"Looks like you are braver then I am after all…" Levi said softly before grabbing her hand and gently pulling her into his bedroom, shutting the door tightly behind him.


End file.
